Abstract

The complete larval development of Petrolisthes violaceus (Guerin, 1831), a porcellanid crab endemic to the south-eastern Pacific, is described and illustrated. The development comprises a prezoea, two zoeal stages and a megalopa. The megalopal stage was reached under laboratory conditions (19°C; 34‰ s) after an average of 25.2 days. We compare zoeal and megalopal features of P. violaceus with those of other species of Petrolisthes from the coast of the Americas, and indicate characteristics that distinguish P. violaceus larvae from those of P. granulosus and P. laevigatus, the other two Chilean species of Petrolisthes for which larval descriptions are available.