The larval development of the spider crab Rochinia gracilipes (Crustacea: Majoidea: Epialtidae: Pisinae) reared in the laboratory

LUPPI TOMAS; SPIVAK EDUARDO

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2016 vol. 50 p. 1983 - 2003

0022-2933

The larval development of the spider crab Rochinia gracilipes Milne-Edwards, 1875 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Majoidea: Epialtidae:Pisinae) is described and illustrated from laboratory-reared larvae.Development consisted of two zoeal stages and one megalopa,following the typical pattern in Majoidea. Zoea I of R. gracilipes, R.debilis and R. carpenteri differed in lengths of the rostral spine of thecarapace, in the number of setae and aesthetascs of several headappendages (exopods of antennules, endopods of maxillules, andendopods and scaphognathites of maxillae) and in the length ofposterolateral processes of abdominal somites; lateral carapacespines were present only in R. carpenteri and pleopod buds only inR. debilis. Megalopae of Rochinia gracilipes and R. carpenteri differedin several notable characters: a dorsal spine and long rostrum of thecarapace, as well as spines in coxa and ischium of pereiopods,appeared only in R. carpenteri, and podobranchiae of the 3rd maxillipedappeared only in R. gracilipes; they also differed in setation ofabdomen and pleopods. The comparison of the available informationon Pisinae larval development suggested that larval morphologywould not help to accurately understand the phylogenetic relationshipsof this subfamily of spider crabs.