Abstract
The larval stages of Callianassa kraussi Stebb. were previously unknown. Larvae were bred out in the laboratory and found to be incapable of swimming. There are two larval stages, lasting 3 to 5 days in sea water of 34 to 35‰ S at 20 °C. Observations under simulated field conditions in the laboratory, and in the field—where burrow casts were made using a polyester resin, indicated that the larvae metamorphose to the first post-larval stage in the parent burrow, and then burrow directly into the wall of the parent burrow.
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Communicated by G. F. Humphrey, Sydney
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Forbes, A.T. An unusual abbreviated larval life in the estuarine burrowing prawn Callianassa kraussi (Crustacea: Decapoda: Thalassinidea). Mar. Biol. 22, 361–365 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00391395
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00391395