Distribution and Morphological Characteristics of Larval Stages of Portunus pelagicus and Thalamita prymna (Brachyura; Portunidae) Collected from Coastal Waters of Khuzestan Province (North of Persian Gulf)

This is an attempt to study the larval stages of Portaunidae from the Iranian coastal waters. Samples were collected monthly with a 300 μm aperture net from the coastal waters of Khuzestan (North of the Persian Gulf) from May 2007 to April 2008. The larval stages are illustrated and described in detail for Portunus pelagicus and Thalamita prymna. Spatial and temporal variations in density of larval stages of 2 species of Poratnidae were calculated. Portunus plagicus and Thalamita prymna were the dominant species with the maximum abundance of 63.3 and 94.3 individual /m3 respectively, in May 2007. As the study area has the subtropical conditions, different species of this family were found from April to November. The composition and abundance of larval stages indicate that Portunid crabs have continuous reproduction strategy with a peak in May.