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Zooplankton of Wellington Harbour, New Zealand

Stomatopoda

Stomatopoda

Two species of Stomatopoda are recorded for Wellington Harbour. These are Squilla armata Milne Edwards, and Heterosquilla spinosa (Wood-Mason). Two larval forms were also obtained from the plankton, and these were reared through to a juvenile stage in the laboratory and referred to the above two species.

First and second stage "Alima" larvae of Squilla armata are common in March and April and very common in October of each year. Although later stage larvae are present all the year round (Text-fig. 7), the high proportion of early stage larvae in the above months suggests that in each year, S. armata liberates larvae in a spring peak and a less pronounced autumn peak. A stage two "Alima" larva of S. armata is illustrated in Text-fig. 4, D.

The larvae of Heterosquilla spinosa first appear rarely in August, and few are recorded from September into January. They are absent for the remainder of the year (Text-fig. 7). A high proportion of early stage larvae occur in spring (August to October) which is probably the only spawning season of the year for H. spinosa. A stage five larva of this species is illustrated in Text-fig. 4, C.