| Prezoea: similar in color to first zoea; spines of carapace flattened against body; two embryonic spines, of unequal length, enclose antennule; exopodite of antenna covered by four hairy projections of cuticle; telson with seven embryonic spines on each side, all but fourth plumose. First zoea: 1.5 mm (measured from tip of the telson fork to front of head) and 1.5 mm from tip of dorsal spine to end of rostral; body tinged with yellow, and rostral spine, antennae and telson forks with russet; b1ack chromatophores on bases of antennules, on mandibles and maxillae, at bases of lateral and dorsal spines, on postero-lateral part of carapace, on distal part of bases of first and second maxillipedes, and around proximal part of intestine; pair of chromatophores present at junction of all abdominal segments; a red pigment spot on dorsal spine, a pair on first abdominal segment and on telson; dorsal and rostral spines long and tapering, laterals short.; no setae on margin of carapace; abdomen composed of five segments and telson, with knobs on third as well as second segment, and sharp points on postero-lateral margins of third, fourth and fifth; dorsal part of each fork of telson with one spine and the usual six setae on internal margin; two long aesthetes and one seta on tip of conical antennule; antenna characteristic of family: protopodite swollen and produced into a long tapering process, sub-equal to or slightly longer than rostral spine; exopodite minute, about 0.025 mm long with a short hair at tip; mandible bilobed, incisor cut into two teeth and molar with a broad cutting surface; maxillule rather narrow, endites of protopodite with 8 and 4 bristles, segments of endopodite with 1 and 6; maxilla has 7 and 9 setae respectively on coxopodite and basipodite, 8 on endopodite and 5 soft hairs on scaphognathite; first maxillipede typical, with 8 bristles on basis, 4 natatory hairs on exopodite and 2, 2, l, 2 and 5 on the five joints of endopodite; second maxillipede with 4 bristles on basis, 4 on exopodite and 1, l and 5 on endopodite; the remaining thoracic appendages are small and there is no indication of pleopods on the abdomen. Second-fourth zoea: second zoea - 2 mm long and 2.1 between tips of spines, third zoea - 2.8 and 3.1mm, and fourth - 3.0 and 3.5 mm; as the zoea develops the dark chromatophores become more distinct and branched: color of dorsal spine and antennae becomes concentrated in a russet band almost at tip of spines; with live material these brightly colored bands on the transparent spines serve as a distinctive character; as the zoea grows the spines on the carapace and abdomen become much elongated; base of rostral spine is produced laterally to form a shelf curved over bases of eyestalks and there is a distinct median ridge dorsal to this on the carapace; rostral spine and processes of antennae are subequal in second zoea but in later stages rostral spine over-reaches antennae; dorsal spine more than doubles in length during development but lateral spines become less conspicuous as zoea grows; plumose hairs on margin of carapace increase from two in second zoea to about 12 in last; sixth abdominal segrnent becomes separated from telson in third stage, although indication of the segmentation may be seen in second; lateral marginal teeth on third, fourth and fifth abdominal segments gradually increase in size until they become longer than the segments against which they lie; an additional pair of small setae appear on internal margin of telson in third zoea; aesthetes of antennule increase in number during development; endopodite in fourth zoea can be seen as small knob, and basal part of appendage becomes inflated; the anlage of flagellum of antenna first seen in third stage; in last zoea antenna is less than half length of protopodite process; a small, unarmed palp present on mandible of last zoeal stage; setae on inner margin of protopodite of maxillule increased in number, with a densely plumose seta appearing on outer margin in second stage and a bristle in addition in third; endopodite with l and 6 setae in all stages; maxilla large and lamelliform, with increasing numbers of setae on all parts except endopodite, which bears 8 setae throughout; swimming setae of maxillipedes increase to 6 and 7 in second zoea, 8 and 9 in third, and 9 and 11 in fourth; the slight division into two parts of third maxillipede and chela which can be seen in second zoea, becomes quite distinct in third; all thoracic appendages developed in fourth zoea although not functional. Megalopa: length about 2.8 mm, carapace 1.5 by 1.3 mm; yellowish in color with brown pigment in liver and around rnouth parts; small patches of russet on legs, mainly on carpi and meri, and on fourth and fifth abdominal segments; branching black chromatophores on eyestalks, on mouth parts, on rostrum, around heart, on postero-lateral part of carapace and between segments of abdomen except first and second, and sixth and telson; covered with hairs which are especially dense on distal parts of periopods; front wide, with a broad tooth near junction of front and sides of carapace; margined with coarse setae; rostrum blunt, pointing downwards; surface of carapace depressed in median anterior part; bearing rounded prominences dorsally; eyestalks elongated; sixth abdominal segment smaller than others; telson wider than long and usually bearing three plumose setae on posterior margin; antennule now composed of peduncle and two flagella; first segment of peduncle swollen to lodge statocyst; third with three long terminal setae, an unjointed flagellum bearing four setae and a segmented flagellum of three broad, short segments bearing aesthetes, and one longer, narrow, terminal segment with one bristle at tip; antenna of about 11 segments, the proximal three enlarged to form a peduncle, and long bristles on distal segment, penultimate and fourth from tip; mandible with two-jointed palp, bearing eight bristles on second joint; cutting surface of left mandible smoothly rounded, right coming to a point medially; endopodite of maxillule decreased in size, now composed of a single segment with distal third twisted upon itself and bearing a few scattered bristles; endopodite of maxilla somewhat degenerate, with only six soft plumose hairs on the proximal external margin, exopodite with a few setae on surface of scaphognathite as well as numerous marginal ones; first maxillipede modified, as no longer a swimming appendage; endites of protopodite lobed and fringed with bristles; segmentation of endopodite lost, but a few small setae present distally; exopodite of two segments, the first with two soft hairs terminally, second with four; epipodite well developed; second maxillipede has a five-jointed endopodite, with strong spines on terminal segments; exopodite two-jointed with five terminal hairs; small epipodite and a lateral projection that develops into a gill in next stage; third maxillipede resembles that of adult, with flattened and swollen merus and ischium, margined with wide teeth on inner side; epipodite large, but exopodite not well developed; chela stout, with large spine, the tip of which is bent medially, on ischium; dactylus of fifth periopod with three slightly specialized setae, but not comparable to those found in some other families; endopodites of first four pairs of pleopods have three hooked setae on distal internal margin; endopodites of fifth pair of pleopods (uropods) not developed; exopodites with 16, 16, 15, 13 and 8 long plumose setae (Ref. 93861). Also Ref. 112151. |