Postembryonic development of Pyromaia tuberculata (Lockington, 1877): a review of larval and postlarval morphology

Abstract

The spider crab Pyromaia tuberculata (Lockington, 1877) (Decapoda, Majidae) has been recorded from eastern Pacific coasts (México to Colombia), the western Pacific (Japan and New Zealand) and the western Atlantic (southern Brazil, near Rio de la Plata estuary and Argentine). Larvae of P. tuberculata from one female collected on beds of oysters and mussels at 50 m depth on the Argentine continental shelf (38°21´S; 57°38´W) hatched in the laboratory and were successfully reared until the first crab stage. This paper redescribes the zoea and megalopa phases and describes the juvenil crab morphology.

Keywords

• pyromaia tuberculata
• larval development
• zoea
• megalopa
• majidae
• argentina