Quddusi Kazmi

Crustacean Larvae of the Northern Arabian Sea: Larval Stage of Zooplanktonic Crustaceans Quddusi Kazmi

Marine Crustaceans specially the shrimps and the crabs are consumed by humans. Through the information on shrimp larvae of the Arabian Sea is available but that on other crustacean groups is fragmentary. The book is intended as an umbrella for the described crustacean larvae separated from the off shore plankton samples of North Arabian Sea Ecological and Environmental Research(NASEER) Cruise1, a joint Pakistan-U. S. programme and those obtained on monthly basis in the coastal waters of Pakistan(Manora Channel, Karachi). Most of the primary identification characters are illustrated. The larvae were identified to generic level. The study includes the occurrence and abundance of crustacean larvae during NASEER Cruise1 samples from 18 stations and their monthly record in near shore stations by the authors. This sampling provides background and baseline data that will prove useful in understanding the change in properties in fisheries productivity or environmental damage due to pollution. Pakistan is now on the threshold of entering the field of aquaculture and much nformation is needed on the distribution and abundance of larvae and postlarvae of the local species.