Early juvenile development of MediterraneanLiocarcinus depurator(Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Portunidae)

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Abstract
The early juvenile crab stages (C1 to C5) of the portunid crab Liocarcinus depurator (Linnaeus, 1758) were obtained in the laboratory from megalopae captured from the plankton in the northwest Mediterranean. Morphological development through these stages is described and compared with previous juvenile descriptions and adult morphology. The definitive adult morphology of carapace teeth is only apparent from stage C4. The incision on the lower orbital margin of the carapace and the mesial lobe (“portunid lobe”) of the endopod of the first maxilliped starts to be evident from C3. Stage C5 is already very similar to that of the typical adult crab. Male and female crabs can be distinguished from stage C2 onwards, based on sexual dimorphism in pleopods. The morphology and size of Mediterranean juvenile crabs was compared with the previous description of individuals reared in the laboratory from ovigerous females from British North Atlantic waters.

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