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| Description: 1 After a female crab has mated, she fertilizes eggs with stored sperm and then holds them under her abdomen for 2–3 months until they hatch. 2 Within an hour of hatching, an early-stage planktonic larva (called a zoea) develops. 3 The early-stage larva grows and molts repeatedly, altering its form only slightly. 4 The fifth molt of the early-stage larva produces a late-stage planktonic larva with an altered body form (a megalops). 5 The late-stage larva molts into a bottom-dwelling juvenile crab. Growth and repeated molting will produce a sexually mature adult in about 2 years. Picture Stats: Views: 325 Filesize: 179.74kB Height: 855 Width: 1500 Source: https://biology-forums.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=48202 |