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Zoology Publications from Victoria University of Wellington—Nos. 78, 79 and 80
[Introduction]
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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