The phyllosoma is the larval stage of spiny and

slipper lobster Slipper lobsters are a family (biology), family (Scyllaridae) of about 90 species of Achelata, achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda clade Reptantia, found in all warm oceans and seas. They are not lobster, true lobsters, but are more closely rel ...

(Palinuridae and Scyllaridae), and represents one of the most significant characteristics that unify them into the taxon

Achelata The Achelata is an infra-order of the decapod crustaceans, holding the spiny lobsters, slipper lobsters and their fossil relatives. Description The name "Achelata" derives from the fact that all the members of this group lack the chelae (claws) ...

. Its body is remarkably thin, flat, and transparent, with long legs. The phyllosoma larva of spiny lobsters has a long

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...

ic life before metamorphosing into the puerulus stage, which is the transitional stage from planktonic to a benthic existence. Despite the importance of larval survival to predict recruitment, not much is known about the biology of phyllosoma larvae. In many cases even natural diet is still unclear. Jeffs A. (2007)
Revealing the natural diet of the phyllosoma larvae of spiny lobster. Bull. Fish. Res. Agen. No. 20, 9-13 (review) Larva de phyllosoma

Even though adult

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

is well described, studies on the planktonic phyllosoma phase have been comparatively neglected given its long duration, which has made it difficult to rear them in the laboratory. Despite the relatively large size of these larvae and their immediate recognition in plankton sorting, important identification problems due to the lack of detailed and specific morphological descriptions have precluded specific determination in many plankton samples. Recent efforts to identify phyllosoma larvae using molecular techniques have provided further insight into the ecology and distribution.

References

{{reflist Achelata Larvae

See also

References