COMPLETE LARVAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE LAND-CRAB, CARDISOMA HIRTIPES DANA(BRACHYURA: GECARCINIDAE) REARED IN THE LABORATORY

Abstract

The larval development of the land crad, Cardisoma hirtipes DANA, reared under laboratory conditions, is described and illustrated. The larvae passed through five zoeal stages before they molted to the megalopal stage. Only a few zoeas succeeded in metamorphosing into the megalopal stage in 13 days at a water temperature of about 28℃. Larval relationships are discussed among C. carnifex, C. hirtipes and C. guanhumi, C. hirtipes and C. guanhumi shares most of the essential features in zoeal and megalopal stages, but C. carnifex is distant from these two species in having spinous abdominal segments and an elongate telson.