Document Type

Article

Department/Program

Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Publication Date

1970

Journal

Biological Bulletin

Volume

139

Issue

1

First Page

188

Last Page

202

Abstract

Thompson ( 1903) described from the plankton four zoeae and a megalopa which he ascribed to Pag11ru.s longicarpus. Although his verbal description of the external anatomy is incomplete, his figures are adequate to identify accurately the species with which he was working. His description of the internal anatomy is the most complete study available for any decapod larva. He indicated that some larvae of P. annulipes were included in his study material but that he was unable todifferentiate the two species.

MacDonald, Pike, and Willamson ( 1957) and Pike and Williamson ( 1959, 1960) described the larvae of several British and Mediterannean Pagurus species from carefully constructed plankton series. They were able to distinguish three types of larvae in this genus, based on 12 larval characteristics (several of which were composites of two characteristics), suggesting that the genus Pagurus may be polyphyletic, but no division of the genus was attempted for lack of adult characteristics supporting the larval data.

Larvae of several addi tional Pagur11s species have been described from culture experiments by Coffin ( 1958, 1960), Hart ( 1937), Provenzano and Rice ( 1964) and Shenoy ( 1967). In addition, P. bernhardus has been cultured by Bookhout (1964) and A. Le Roux (personal communication) and shown to agree in all essentials with the description given by MacDonald et al. ( 1957).

This paper deals with the external anatomy of P. longicarpus larvae reared in the laboratory. It is clearly demonstrated that Thompson ( 1903) attributed his larvae to the wrong species and a suggestion is made as to the correct identity of his larvae.

Publication Statement

Contribution (Virginia Institute of Marine Science) no.342.

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