The present paper describes and illustrates the early post-embryonic development of the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium iheringi (Ortmann, 1897) completely. This species presents an abbreviated larval development of the advanced type, consisting of two zoeal stages before metamorphosing to megalopa. Benthic behaviour is already displayed by the newly hatched zoea. Both zoeae and megalopa are lecithotrophic. Live or inert food particles are captured or collected only after the third moult (juvenile stage) when mouthparts and chelipeds become well developed and fully functional.
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Bueno et al. (1995) studied this question.