Larval morphology of the southwestern Atlantic mud crab Panopeus meridionalis (Decapoda: Brachyura: Panopeidae) described from laboratory-reared material

Abstract

The panopeid mud crab Panopeus meridionalis is known to inhabit the intertidal zone of the estuarine temperate waters of the southwestern Atlantic, from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Mar del Plata, Argentina. The complete larval development of this species is described from laboratory-reared material and compared with known larvae of Panopeus.