316 American Fisheries Society 



not take food readily while bearing eggs, and the reduced 

 activity may be caused by starvation. The eggs which are 

 about to hatch are clear gray and the embryo can be seen 

 plainly through the outer membranes. They are semi-buoy- 

 ant and the flow of water through the jars must be gauged 

 carefully. 



The first larvae to emerge in the jars hatched abnormally 

 because of evident injury to the eggs while stripping them. 

 These larvae did not succeed in casting off the embryonic 

 sheath which covers all parts of the exterior and in which the 

 exopodites of the natatory appendages are folded down closely 

 to the endopodites. These larvae quickly died. The first nor- 

 mal larvae emerged during the night. It was observed that 

 just before hatching, the eggs became buoyant and as they 

 floated upward, the larvae ruptured the outer shell and 

 emerged much doubled up like flecks of cotton waste. In a few 

 seconds, the larvae straightened out and began actively swim- 

 ming about. The larvae have two movements; the first is a 

 rotary movement which causes the larva to proceed by a series 

 of summersaults; the second movement is spiral, the larva 

 rotating on its longitudinal axis as it moves forward. 



The first stage larva, or phyllosome, is quite small, the 

 body, excluding the antennae and legs, measuring 0.9 mm. in 

 length and about 0.7 mm. in width. It is transparent except 

 for the dense black eyes and yellowish liver mass. The legs 

 which are developed in this stage correspond to the third max- 

 illipeds and the last three pairs of legs in the adult. The first 

 two pairs of legs posterior to the maxillipeds have well-de- 

 veloped exopodites with which the larva swims. The exo- 

 podites on the last pair of legs are reduced to short spurs. 

 The legs are very long in proportion to the body and they are 

 provided with numerous setae and spines. The first two pairs 

 of dactyls are very long and curved slightly while the last 

 pair of dactyls is short and hook shaped. It was observed that 

 these long legs became entangled when the larvae were 



