| Abstract |
The ovigerous females of Microprosthema validum Stimpson, 1860, were collected from Paradise Point (Karachi, Pakistan) on April 26th, 1997 and from Abdur Rehman Goth on May 27th, 1997. They were kept under laboratory conditions. On May 5th and May 311st 1997 larvae were hatched, at 30oC- 33oC temperature in filtered seawater with a salinity of 35- 37 parts per thousand and pH 7.9. The larvae were fed Artemia nauplii. Microprosthema validum passed through five zoeal stages prior to reaching postlarval stages, which were followed by juvenile stage. These developmental stages are described, illustrated and compared with the available descriptions of stenopoid larvae given earlier. |
