Illustrated key for the identification of brachyuran zoeal stages (Crustacea: Decapoda) in the plankton of Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan)

Abstract

A dichotomous identification key for brachyuran zoeal stages from Peter the Great Bay (Russian waters of the Sea of Japan) is provided for the first time. The key covers 16 taxa identified to species level and uses only the most conspicuous external characters of larvae that are easy to observe under a stereomicroscope without specimens dissection. The key is based on the accounts by various authors and new original descriptions of larvae obtained both from plankton samples and from laboratory culture. Brief descriptions of larvae of 16 brachyuran species are also included.