Developmental stages of crabs collected from Northern Arabian Sea.

The present work is based on the morphological study of brachyuran zoeae and megalopae of the northern Arabian Sea (Pakistan). The planktonic samples that were collected during the cruise of Norwegian research vessel “Dr. Fridtjof Nansen” carried out jointly by Pakistan and Norwegian governments in the Arabian Sea. This cruise lasted for 6 months covering a period of 19 January 1977 to 20 June 1977. The ship surveyed the Pakistani waters between the 15m - depth contour and 150 nautical miles offshore. Nine taxa within the Brachyura were identified in the larval phase. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the larval stages are provided for those species with previously undescribed or inadequately described larvae.