72 



THE LIFE OF CRUSTACEA 



This larva, known by the name of phyllosoma 

 (Fig. 28), is very broad, thin, and leaf-like, and 

 quite transparent, so that some of the larger kinds 

 v^^ere formerly known as " Glass Crabs." The thin 

 oval carapace does not cover the whole of the 

 thoracic region, which is disc-shaped, with four pairs 



Fig. 28 — The Phyllosoma Larva of the Common Spiny 

 Lobster (Palinurus vulgaris— b-r-e Plate V.). Much enlarged. 

 (After J. T. Cunningham.) 



of long slender legs, each with an exopodite. The 

 abdomen is relatively small. The intermediate 

 stages between the phyllosoma and the adult are 

 still very imperfectly known; In tropical seas 

 phyllosoma larvae of large size are found, sometimes 

 reaching two or three inches in length. The larva 

 of the Common Spiny Lobster {Palinurus vulgaris), 

 however, does not exceed half an inch in length. 



