Abstract
Larval development of the symbiotic crab Sestrostoma balssi (Shen, 1932) (Varunidae: Gaeticinae) inhabiting Russian waters of the Sea of Japan is described and illustrated for the first time from material reared in the laboratory. The development includes five zoeal and a single megalopal stages. The first megalopa was attained at 20–22°C 35 days after hatching. The present paper is the first description of the complete larval development in the genus Sestrostoma. The larvae of S. balssi share all principal characters of the family Varunidae but are distinguished from the typical varunid larvae by the absence of a well-developed antennal exopod in the zoea and the presence of an 8-segmented antennal flagellum in the megalopa.References
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