The date mussel Lithophaga lithophaga: Biology, ecology and the multiple impacts of its illegal fishery.

The date mussel Lithophaga lithophaga is an edible endolithic bivalve, protected by the EU Habitats Directive and other international agreements, living inside carbonate rocks. Its illegal harvesting is carried by breaking the rocks where the bivalve grows. The impact has cascade consequences as it causes permanent changes in the substrate characteristics, the removal of benthic species, a shift from highly complex to structurally simplified habitats.

Morphology of planktonic zoeal stages of Palicus caronii (Decapoda, Brachyura), identified by DNA barcoding, provides novelties to Palicoidea larval systematics.

The zoeal development of the brachyuran crab, Palicus caronii, comprises two zoeal stages and the morphology is described and illustrated in detail. The zoeae were collected in plankton samples from the Southern Ligurian Sea (Western Mediterranean). Although the morphology of the larval stages of this species was unknown, a combination of characters allowed the zoeae to initially be assigned to the Palicidae, based on the previous unique known first zoeal description of one species of this family.

Description of the zoeal stages of Periclimenes aegylios Grippa d'Udekem d'Acoz, 1996 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae) reared in the laboratory.

The eight zoeal stages of the Mediterranean shrimp Periclimenes aegylios are described and illustrated in detail, using laboratory-reared specimens. This study improved the partial and unpublished descriptions of the zoeae of this species. The complete and accurate definition of the morphology of all the stages now allows comparison of the zoeae of P.