most of the Xanthidae. It appears to be closer, in 

 most features, to the family Cancridae. 



Status t)f the Family Menippidae 



Ortman (1894) established the family Menip- 

 pidae, which included the subfamilies Menip- 

 pinae, Myomenippinae, and Pilumninae. based on 

 the following adult characters: a) the second seg- 

 ment of each antenna is short, not overreaching 

 the frontal region; and b) the palate is with or 

 without a ridge. However, because of the reigning 

 taxonomic confusion in this group, this familial 

 rank was not recognized by other authors of that 

 time. Indeed, many present day xanthid species 

 were placed under differing familial and subfami- 

 lial names (e.g., Pilumnidae, Cancridaei before 

 the taxon Xanthidae became firmly established 

 (Rathbun 1930). Later authors notwithstanding, 

 Aikawa (1929, 1937), using Lebour's larval 

 characters (with emphasis on antennal develop- 

 ment), again recognized the family Menippidae, 

 considering it to be more primitive than the 

 Xanthidae. Subsequent study of the larval de- 

 velopment oi Menippe . reported by Porter (1960) 

 and in this paper, supports Aikawa's phylogenetic 

 arrangement based on larval morphology, as well 

 as adding evidence using larval development, i.e., 

 the fact that Menippe attains up to six zoeal stages 

 (more stages = primitive). The establishment by 

 Ortmann (1894) of the Menippidae as a family, 

 although based only on adult characters, seems to 

 be supported also by larval traits. 



Guinot (1977) proposed a new classification 

 scheme for brachyuran decapods based on place- 

 ment of female and male genital openings. She 

 divided the brachyurans into three sections as fol- 

 lows: 1) Podotremata — female and male openings 

 coxal, a primitive condition (i.e., Homoloidea); 2) 

 Heterotremata — female openings sternal, male 

 openings either sternal or coxal, an intermediate 

 condition (i.e., Xanthoidea); 3) Thoracotremata — 

 female and male openings sternal, an advanced 

 condition (i.e., Gecarcinoidea). Guinot'* listed the 

 family Menippidae under the superfamily 

 Xanthoidea, based on adult characters emphasiz- 

 ing genital opening placement. Thus she provided 

 additional evidence, based on adult gonopore/ 

 gonopod characters, for the reestablishment of the 



'Guinot. D. 1977. Project d'une nouvelic classification des 

 Brachyoures Unpubl. Uihies. Museum National d'Histoire 

 Naturellc. Labortoire de Zoologie lArthropodes). Paris. Fr. 



FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL, 77. No 2 



family Menippidae. Investigations of the larval 

 development of other species of Menippe could 

 provide further support warranting reestablish- 

 ment of the family. 



NOTE ADDED IN PROOF 



After this paper was sent to the printer, a 

 publication — Larval development of Epixanthiis 

 dentatus (White) (Brachyura, Xanthidae) by M. 

 Saba, M. Takeda, and Y. Nakasone published 

 1978 in Bulletin of the National Science Museum 

 (Tokyo), Series A (Zoology) 4(3):151-161— was re- 

 ceived indicating that three genera of xanthids 

 developed through less than four zoeal stages. 

 Epixanthus dentatus and HcteroziiiK rotundifrons 

 attain two larval stages, while PUuninus lum- 

 pinus attains only one larval stage. These three 

 species live in specialized and restricted habi- 

 tats. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



I wish to express my appreciation to the Smith- 

 sonian Institution for granting a summer intern- 

 ship and use of the facilities at the Fort Pierce 

 Bureau. I also thank the members of my thesis 

 committee: Robert H. Gore, Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion, Fort Pierce Bureau; and Frank M. Trucs- 

 dale, William H. Herke, Clyde H. Moore, 

 Louisiana State University, for their assistance. I 

 express my gratitude to Anthony J. Provenzano, 

 Jr. and Paul A. Sandifer who also critically re- 

 viewed the manuscript. I also wish to thank Joan 

 Dupont, Applied Biology. Inc., Atlanta, Ga., for 

 pointing out morphological differences between 

 M. nudifr-ons and M. mercenuricr, and Suzanne 

 Bass, Karen Rodman, and Kim Wilson who pro- 

 vided moral support and aid in the laboratory. 



LITERATURE CITED 



AIK,\\V.\, H. 



1929. On larval forms of some Brachyura, Rec 



Oceanogr, Works Jpn. 2:17-55. 

 1937. Furttier notes on brachyuran larvae, Rec, 

 Oceanogr, Works Jpn, 9:87-162, 

 BOOKHOl'T. C. G., AND J, D, COSTI.OVV, JH, 



1974, Larval development ofPorttinus spiniairpiis reared 



in the laboratory. Bull, Mar, Sci, 24:20-51, 

 1977, Larval development oCCallmt'ctt's sinulis reared in 

 the laboratory Bull, Mar, Sci, 27:704-728, 

 B(1KRAD,\II.K. E, A, 



1907, On the classification of the decapod cru.staceans 

 Ann, Mag, Nat, Hist,. Ser, 7. 19:4.57-486. 



384 



