Abdominal Tergite and Pleopod Changes in Lithodes aequispinus Benedict, 1895 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Lithodidae) from Megalopa to Juvenile
- Authors: P.A. McLaughlin and J.M. Paul
- Pub. no.: RP-02-07
- Year: 2001
- Price: Single copies free
Description
This illustrated report is the first to describe more than the first five juvenile stages in any lithodid species. In Lithodes, the marginal plates of the adult second tergite are not homologous with the so-called marginal plates of the third through fifth tergites, and tergite development is not particularly stage related. The paired abdominal pleopods of the megalopa, which are lost in both sexes with the molt to the second crab stage, reappear on the left side of the abdomen in females at the fifth or sixth crab stage. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 115(1):138-147.
