Morphology of the early larval stages of Lysmata ankeri Rhyne & Lin, 2006 and Lysmata bahia Rhyne & Lin, 2006 (Caridea: Lysmatidae) and a review of the larval morphology of the early Lysmata stages

The early larval stages of the shrimps Lysmata ankeri and L. bahia were described, illustrated, and compared among other Lysmata species, providing important information on post-embryonic development and insights into its evolutionary history. Ovigerous specimens ofL. ankeri and L. bahia were sampled from southeastern and northeastern Brazilian coast, respectively. For L. ankeri and L. bahia, five and three larval stages were obtained, respectively. Unique features were observed for L. ankeri and L. bahia larvae, and some characteristics may differ only for L. ankeri and L. bahia, which were not observed in the other species analyzed, such as: presence of a pair of simple setae on the third pleonal somite in zoea I and number of setae on the uropod exopod greater than 11. Moreover, several other features are similar between species from the diferent clades of the Lysmata-Exhippolysmata complex, making it possible to identify the early stages ofLysmata larvae. However, future studies will be essential to confirm or not the existence of some phylogenetic patterns and their relevance and other larval characters for better understanding the evolutionary history of this group.

Automated summary

The early larval stages of Lysmata ankeri and L. bahia were described, compared, and illustrated, providing valuable insights into their post-embryonic development and evolutionary history. Ovigerous specimens from the coast of southeastern and northeastern Brazil were used for this study. Unique features were observed in the larvae of L. ankeri and L. bahia, which were not found in other analyzed species, such as a pair of simple setae on the third pleonal somite in zoea I and more than 11 setae on the uropod exopod. Similar characteristics were found in species from different clades of the Lysmata-Exhippolysmata complex, allowing for the identification of early stages of Lysmata larvae. Further research is needed to confirm phylogenetic patterns and the significance of other larval characters for a better understanding of the evolutionary history of this group.