Notes on some decapod larvae

Abstract

A wide variety of decapod larvae is characteristic of the inshore plankton of Mandapam (q. v., Prasad, 1954) but the specific identity of many of these larvae is still unknown. Our present knowledge of the decapod larvae of Indian waters is mostly based on the pioneering work of Menon (1933, 1937 and 1940) who, however, could not determine the species in many cases because of the inadequacy of material in some cases and the difficulty he experienced in getting the earliest larval stages hatched in the laboratory. He remarks that: This difficulty in getting the earliest stage from the eggs renders the identification of the plankton specimens a very difficult task.