Description of the First Zoea of Armases occidentale (Smith, 1870) (Decapoda: Sesarmidae)

Authors

  • john Alex Ramos-Veliz ESPOL
  • Jordy Soledispa-Macias Calappa. Guayaquil, Ecuador. - Facultad Ciencias de la Vida, Escuela Superior Politécnica campus Gustavo Galindo, Km 30.5 vía perimetral, Guayaquil, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9165-9163

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62430/rtb20262412081

Keywords:

Biodiversity, Crustacean fauna, Crustacean reproduction, Larval development, Mangrove crab

Abstract

Within the Sesarmidae family, species of the genus Armases were separated from the genus Sesarma based on morphological characteristics observed in adult specimens; it is known that differences between species can also be found at the larval stage, making larval descriptions particularly useful. Only representatives from the Atlantic Ocean have been described, and none from the Pacific, leaving open the question of whether larval morphological differences exist between species from both oceans. A gravid specimen of Armases occidentale (Smith, 1870) was obtained from bait used in artisanal fishing near Posorja; it was maintained under controlled conditions with a salinity of 32 UPS and a temperature of 24 °C until spawning, at which point 20 larvae were collected for measurement and description. Comparing the morphology with descriptions of other larvae reported in the literature, the results demonstrate that the setaxia of the basal endite and the endopod of the maxillula and maxilla are distinctive of the genus, and that A. occiendale exhibits the same characteristics as its congener A. cinereum (Bosc, 1801). It is suggested that the nomenclature used for larval descriptions be standardized to develop taxonomic keys that allow for the identification of larvae in zooplankton. 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abele, L. G. (1981). Sesarma gorei, New Species, from Peru, with a Key to the Eastern Pacific Species of Sesarma. Source: Journal of Crustacean Biology, 1(3), 433–440.

Abele, L. G. (1992). A review of the grapsid crab genus Sesarma (Crustacea: Decapoda: Grapsidae) in America, with the description of a new genus. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 527, 1–60. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.527

Canela, & Sazima. (2003). Florivory by the Crab Armases angustipes (Grapsidae) Influences Hummingbird Visits to Aechmea pectinata (Bromeliaceae)’. BIOTROPICA, 35(2), 289–294.

Clark, P. (2023). A zoeal atlas of selected xanthoid crabs and allied superfamilies, with reference to Heterotremata (Crustacea: Brachyura: Eubrachyura) larval characters. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 1–365. https://doi.org/10.26107/RBZ-2023-0006

Clark, P., Calazans, D. K., & Pohle, G. W. (1998). Accuracy and standardization of brachyuran larval descriptions. Invertebrate Reproduction and Development, 33(2–3), 127–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/07924259.1998.9652627

Costlow, J. D., & Bookhout, C. G. (1960). The Complete Larval Development of Sesarma cinereum (Bosc) Reared in the Laboratory. En Bulletin (Vol. 118, Número 2).

Cuesta, J. A., & Anger, K. (2001). Larval Morphology of the Sesarmid Crab Armases Angustipes Dana, 1852 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Grapsoidea). Journal of Crustacean Biology, 21(3), 821–838.

Cuesta, J. A., Schuh, M., Diesel, R., & Schubart, C. D. (1999). Abbreviated Development of Armases miersii (Grapsidae: Sesarminae), a Crab That Breeds in Supralittoral Rock Pools. En Source: Journal of Crustacean Biology (Vol. 19, Número 1).

DecaNet. (2024, junio 2). Armases Abele, 1992. World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=158048 on 2024-06-02.

Diaz, H., & Ewald, J. J. (1968). A Comparison of the Larval Development of Metasesarma rubripes (Rathbun) and Sesarma ricordi H. Milne Edwards (Brachyura, Grapsidae) Reared under Similar Laboratory Conditions. En Source: Crustaceana. Supplement (Número 2). http://www.jstor.orgURL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/25027398

Guerao, G., Anger, K., & Schubart, C. D. (2007). Larvae and first-stage juveniles of the American genus Armases Abele, 1992 (Brachyura: Sesarmidae): A morphological description of two complete developments and one first zoeal stage. Journal of Natural History, 41(29–32), 1811–1839. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222930701500431

Hendrick, M. (1995). Checklist of brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda) from the eastern tropical Pacific. BIOLOGIE, 65, 125–150.

Lima, J. D. F., & Abrunhosa, F. (2006). The complete larval development of Armases benedicti (Rathbun) (Decapoda, Sesarmidae), from the Amazon region, reared in the laboratory. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia, 23(2), 460–470. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0101-81752006000200021

Montú, M., Anger, K., & Bakker, C. (1990). Variability in the Larval Development of Metasesarma rubripes (Decapoda, Grapsidae) Reared in the Laboratory. Nertitica, Pontal do Sul, 5(1), 113–128.

Ospina-B, F., Realpe, E., & Arias-Pineda, J. Y. (2016). Occurrence of Armases angustum (Smith, 1870) (Decapoda, Sesarmidae) in tanks of Guzmania Sp. (Bromeliaceae) at tropical rain forest of Chocó (Colombia). Boletin Cientifico del Centro de Museos, 20(2), 173–178. https://doi.org/10.17151/bccm.2016.20.2.13

Poore, G. C. B., & Ahyong, S. T. (2023). Marine decapod crustacea : a guide to families and genera of the world.

Ramos-Veliz, J., & Vergara, G. (2024). Descripcion de la primera zoea del cangrejo violinista Uca ornata (SMITH, 1870) (Decapoda, Ocypodidae). The Biologist (Lima), 22(1), 95–102. https://doi.org/10.2403/rtb20242211697

Rebolledo, A. P., Wehrtmann, I. S., & Cuesta, J. A. (2015). Morphological and morphometric comparison of the first zoeal stage of the mangrove crabs of the genus Aratus H. Milne Edwards, 1853 (Decapoda: Sesarmidae). Zootaxa, 3949(2), 217–228. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3949.2.4

Smith, S. I. (1870). Notes on American Crustacea. Number I. Ocypodoidea. Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1, 113–176.

Zhang, Y. C., & Shih, H. Te. (2022). First Zoeal Stage of 15 Species of Fiddler Crabs (Crustacea: Brachyura: Ocypodidae) from Taiwan. Zoological Studies, 61. https://doi.org/10.6620/ZS.2022.61-71

Published

2026-04-27

How to Cite

Ramos-Veliz, john A., & Soledispa-Macias, J. (2026). Description of the First Zoea of Armases occidentale (Smith, 1870) (Decapoda: Sesarmidae). The Biologist, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.62430/rtb20262412081