Description of planktonic larval stages of Leucosiidae (Crustacea: Brachyura) collected from the coastal waters of Khuzestan (North of the Persian Gulf)

There have been relatively very few taxonomic studies on the Brachyura of the Persian Gulf region, despite the recent ecological focus on the area due to its economic importance. The present descriptive study is based on the brachyuran larvae (Zoea I) of six species of family Leucosiidae: Myra fugas, Philyra platychira, Philyra globus, Philyra sp1, Philyra syndactya, Ebalia sp1. Plankton samples were collected monthly from coastal waters of Khuzestan from May 2007 to April 2008. The larval stages are described in detail and the variations between morphological characteristics of larvae are presented in tabular form. Dominant species was Philyra platychira with maximum abundance in June 2007.