Larval development of a tropical spider crab, Libinia ferreirae Brito Capello, 1871 (Decapoda: Majidae), reared in the laboratory

Larvae of a tropical spider crab, Libinia ferreirae, Brito Capello, 1871, were reared in the laboratory from hatching to metamorphosis. Development consists of a prezoea, 2 zoeal stages, and a megalopa. A detailed description of larval morphology is given and compared with those of four other Libinia species for which descriptions are available. In spite of great morphological similarity among these species, the characters described here are sufficient to allow the identification of their larval stages.