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Zoology Publications from Victoria University of Wellington—Nos. 78, 79 and 80
Family Palaemonidae
Family Palaemonidae
The following species have been recorded from New Zealand waters: Leander tenuicornis (Say, 1818), Palaemon affinis H. Milne-Edwards, 1837, Periclimenaeus novaezealandiae (Borradaile, 1916), Periclimenes yaldwyni Holthuis, 1959 and three as yet unnamed species of Periclimenes (see Richardson & Yaldwyn, 1958).
Larvae of L. tenuicornis have been described by Gurney (1938, 1939) and Gurney & Lebour (1941). Larvae of Palaemon affinis, Periclimenes yaldwyni and one of the unnamed species of Periclimenes have been described by Packer (1983). Larvae of the other species are not known, although Gurney (1924) described larvae from northern New Zealand which could belong to one of the unnamed species of Periclimenes (see Packer 1983, p. 187). Larvae of the two species of Periclimenes described by Packer (1983) were too similar to separate readily in planton samples.
Very little is known of larvae of the genus Periclimenaeus Borradaile. Those described from beyond New Zealand waters are similar in overall morphology to larvae of Periclimenes spp. They may or may not have a toothed rostrum and more conspicuous spinules on the dactylus spine of maxilliped 2 by which they could be distinguished from larvae of the genus Periclimenes (see Gurney & Lebour 1941 (as Periclimenes, subgenus Periclimenaeus) and Fig. 4F).
As a group the larvae of this family are superficially similar to those of the family Alpheidae. They can be identified by substituting the following for characters 1-3 given above for the Alpheidae.
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Palaemonid larval characters
| 1. | Carapace with supraorbital spines bearing retrorse spinules from zoea 2 onward (Figs. 4C, D, K). |
| 2. | Pereiopod 5 not much longer than pereiopod 4 when latter developed (Figs. 4C, K), except in Leander (Fig. 4D). |
| 3. | Protopod of maxilla with three endites only (Figs. 41, J), exopod longer than endopod except in early larvae of Periclimenes. |
| A. | Body with double bend, especially in late larvae; carapace without dorsomedial spines; rostrum shorter than half the length of the antennular peduncle; abdomen without spines on somite 5 (Fig. 4C) |
Periclimenes spp. Periclimenaeus novae zealandiae? |
| Body straight or abdomen curved ventrally; carapace with dorsomedial spines bearing spinules from zoea 2 onward; rostrum subequal in length to antennular peduncle; abdomen with posterolateral spines on somite 5 in all zoeae or from zoea 2 onward (Figs. 4D, K) | B | |
| B. | Carapace never with more than two dorsomedial spines; pereiopods 1-3 with exopod; pereiopod 5 develops before pereiopod 3, much longer than pereiopods 3-4 when latter developed; Maxilliped 1 with inner margin of basis strongly protuberant in all zoeae; endopod of maxilla without basal lobe (Figs. 4D, H, J) | Leander tenuicornis |
| Carapace with three dorsomedial spines from zoea 4 onwards; pereiopods 1-4 with exopod; pereiopod 5 not developed before pereiopod 3, not much longer than pereiopods 3-4 when latter developed; maxilliped 1 without inner margin of basis strongly protruberant in early larvae; endopod of maxilla with basal lobe (Figs. 4G, I, K) | Palaemon affinis |