The early stage of Scyllarus sordidus (Stimpson) from the inshore plankton off Vizhinjam together with a note on their distribution

The regular occurrence of the, phyllosoma (stage I) of the scyllarid lobster Scyllarus sordidus (Stimpson), a species whose adults are not yet reported from the southwest coiist of India, in the inshore plankton off Vizhinjam is being reported. This is the first time that these larvae were collected regularly from the routine plankton samples; and their identity was possible by comparing them with the details of phyllosoma (stage I) hatched out in the laboratory from known adults by earlier workers. The larvae were present in the plankton throughout the year for a period of 8 years (1980 to '87). Interestingly, during this period no larvae of any of the panulirid species that are more common and commercially exploited occurred in the plankton samples collected. The-presence of stage I pllyllosoma in the plankton throughout the year indicates protracted breeding. The presence of these larvae in the inshore areas of Vizhinjam especially in more numbers in the Bay collections would indicate the occurrence of a population of the adults somewhere in the vicinity of Vizhinjam very near the shore.