Larval development of Galathea inflata Potts, 1915 (Decapoda: Anomura: Galatheidae) described from laboratory-reared material

Abstract

The complete larval development of Galathea inflata Potts, 1915, a symbiont of comatulid crinoids, is described and illustrated from laboratoryreared material. The zoeas of G. inflata are easily distinguished from those of G. rostrata and G. intermedia by an abdomen, including a telson, that is covered with very minute spines in all zoeal stages, a rostrum that bears lateral teeth in the second to fifth zoeal stages, and by the setations of the maxillule and first and second maxillipeds. This species had five zoeal stages and one megalopal stage. However, the fifth zoeal stage may be abnormal because it possesses a mixture of zoeal and megalopal characters. It is suggested that the fourth stage zoeas possibly molt directly to the megalopa under favorable conditions.