The secret life of deep-sea shrimps: ecological and evolutionary clues from the larval description of Systellaspis debilis (Caridea: Oplophoridae)

Currently there are 21 shrimp species in the northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea which are considered to belong to the superfamily Oplophoroidea, but the larval development is unknown for most of them. The complete larval development of Systellaspis debilis (Milne-Edwards, 1881), here descri...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cátia Bartilotti, Antonina Dos Santos
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2019-09-01
Series:PeerJ
Subjects:
Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/7334.pdf
Description
Summary:Currently there are 21 shrimp species in the northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea which are considered to belong to the superfamily Oplophoroidea, but the larval development is unknown for most of them. The complete larval development of Systellaspis debilis (Milne-Edwards, 1881), here described and illustrated, is the first one to have been successfully reared in the laboratory, consisting of four zoeal and one decapodid stages. The zoeae were found to be fully lecithotrophic, which together with the females’ lower fecundity, are probably evolutionary consequences of the species mesopelagic habitat.
ISSN:2167-8359