The complete larval development of Ibacus ciliatus from hatching to the nisto and juvenile stages using jellyfish as the sole diet

It is considered that the extra molting may be added under conditions where larvae are unable to obtain sufficient energy reserves for growth and metamorphosis. Such conditions are mainly caused by inadequate nutritional quality; however, there is limited information of the critical timing at which the addition of the extra molting is determined. In our experiments, significant differences of body length between the phyllosomas having an extra molting and the phyllosomas without extra molting were started to be observed during the early stage of phyllosomas. Our results suggest that, in decapod crustaceans, the mortality of decapodid and juvenile stages may be affected by insufficient energy reserves during the early larval stages.