Publicación online disponible en: http://www.icm.csic.es/scimar/index.php
The complete larval development of the crab Cyrtograpsus affinis (Brachyura, Varunidae) was obtained by culture in the laboratory. Five zoeal stages, the megalopa and the first crab are described and illustrated. Larval development from hatching to first crab took 29 days at 20° C and 35 PSU. The genus Cyrtograpsus only consists of three species. Larval development of C. altimanus and C. angulatus had been described previously. In the present study, morphological larval characters of the three species are compared. Generic larval features are also compared with those of other Varunidae genera.
This paper was written as part of a Spanish-
Argentine cooperative programme (Programa de
Cooperación Científica con Iberoamérica) between
the Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía
(CSIC) (Spain) and the Universidad de Mar del
Plata (Argentina). It was funded by the Ministerio de
Educación y Cultura and the Dirección General del
Instituto de Cooperación Iberoamericana de la
Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional grant to Antonio Rodríguez and the Universidad de
Mar del Plata grant 15/E082 to EDS.
Peer reviewed