The larval development of nanocassiope melanodactyla (a. milne-edwards, 1867) (crustacea:decapoda: Brachyura: Xanthidae)

The larval phases of Nanocassiope melanodactyla (A. Milne-Edwards, 1867) are described and illustrated from laboratory-reared material. The zoeas are compared with the descriptions by Ko and Clark (2002) for N. granulipes (Sakai, 1939). Differences in antennal morphology and second maxilliped setation are reported, suggesting that the species currently assigned to Nanocassiope may not be congeneric.