Comparative studies on the larval development of the penaeid shrimps,Penaeus Chinensis,P. merguiensis andP. penicillatus

The morphology of larval and 1st postlarval stages ofPenaeus penicillatus are described. Results from comparative studies on larval development ofP. penicillatus, P. merguiensis andP. chinensis are as follows: These three species could not be identified during their naupliar stages. In the 1st protozoea, the antennule L1/L2 value is 1.7–2.0 inP. merguiensis, but less than 1.7 inP. chinensis andP. penicillatus; in the 2nd protozoea, the supra-orbital spine inP. chinensis is not bifurcated, while those ofP. merguiensis andP. penicillatus are bifurcated; in the 3rd protozoea, there is a minute (or no) dorso-median spine on the posterior margin of the 1st and 2nd abdominal somite inP. chinensis, but they are prominent inP. merguiensis andP. penicillatus. In the mysis and 1st postlarval stages,P. chinensis differs fromP. merguiensis andP. penicillatus in having 9 (8 in the other 2 species) long setae on the exopod of pereopods 1–3; additionally, one dorsal tooth appears on the rostrum ofP. chinensis in the 2nd mysis and that of the other 2 species in the 3rd mysis;P. chinensis has 2 (mostly) or 1 dorsal tooth on the rostrum in the 3rd mysis and 2–3 in the 1st postlarva, whileP. penicillatus andP. merguiensis have only 1 in the 3rd mysis and 1st postlarva. Comparative studies on larval development showedP. penicillatus has closer affinity withP. merguiensis than withP. chinensis. Contribution No. 2218 from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences