The Abbreviated Larval Development of Caridina Singhalensis Ortmann, 1894 (Decapoda, Atyidae)

Abstract

The highly abbreviated development of Caridina singhalensis, endemic to Sri Lanka, is described. The peculiar morphological features found in the larvae are compared to those of the two other examples of direct development described in the Atyidae. The marked morphological similarities among the reduced larval phases, independently evolved in C. singhalerrsis and the Japanese species (C. brevirostris and C. denticarlata ishigakiensis), allow the identification of a syndrome associated with direct development in the genus.