Description of Laboratory-Reared Larvae of Paralithodes platypus (Decapoda, Anomura, Lithodidae)

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Abstract
Larvae of the blue king crab, Paralithodes platypus (Brandt), were hatched and reared in the laboratory. All larval stages obtained developed in a manner similar to the development reported for other lithodid anomurans. In culture, P. platypus had four zoeal stages and a single glaucothoeal stage. The feature which distinguishes all zoeal stages of this species from zoeae of the other two North Pacific species of Paralithodes — P. camtschatica and P. brevipes — is the presence of 9 + 9 telson processes (including a hair-like second process) rather than 8 + 8 telson processes. Glaucothoes of P. platypus have one more pair of spines in the branchial region of the carapace than do those of P. camtschatica. Glaucothoes of P. platypus have 15 pairs of spines on the dorsal surface of the carapace, not including the spines of the frontal area (rostral complex) or the suborbital spines, whereas glaucothoes of P. camtschatica have 14 pairs of spines, and those of P. brevipes have 13 pairs.

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