On the post-naupliar development of the calanoid copepod Labidocera Pectinata Thompson and Scott (1903)

Six post-naupliar developmental stages (Stages C-I to C-VI) of Labidocera pectinata Thompson and Scott are described and illustrated. The segmentation and setation of the maxillipeds of copepodites offer important criteria for separating the different stages and as such special attention has been given to study their developmental sequence. The variations in meristic characters associated with growth have also been investigated. Attention has also been drawn to the variations in the genital segment and fifth legs of the females of this species from the Indian Sea