DESENVOLVIMENTO E MORFOLOGIA FUNCIONAL DO ESTÔMAGO DE LARVAS E MEGALOPA DE MINUCA RAPAX (SMITH, 1870) (DECAPODA,BRACHYURA)

Development and functional morphology of the foregut of larvae and megalopa of Minuca rapax (Herbest, 1804) (Decapoda, Brachyura). The knowledge of feeding behavior of larvae and megalopa of decapod may be considered of real importance for obtaining successful larval culture. Information on morphological development of the foregut may be used as contribution in larval culture, because its reveals king of food or, weather there is lecithotrophy at some, or even, at whole larval cycle. The structural development of the foregut and digestive function were examined in the present study, for larvae and megalopa of M. rapax, they were obtained under laboratory rearing. After hatching, larvae were cultured in recipients (150 mL, salinity 30), at density of 10 larvae/recipient. Samples were immersed in potassium hydroxide solution, 5% (p/v) and observed under microscope. The zoeal foreguts bear a developed and functional cardiopyloric valve and filter press. The megalopa shows a specialized and complex gastric mill. The results of this study reveal feeding is necessary during all M. rapax larval culture and, support previous suppositions that feeding larval and post larval behavior is related with the morphological characteristics of the foreguts.