Keys to the identification of brachyuran larvae of the Black Sea

The Black Sea fauna has been studied for a long time, whence the adult crabs of this region are rather well known. However, not enough attention has been paid to their larval development. Despite the extensive literature concerning the order Decapoda pertaining to the Black Sea, there is no key for the identification of the brachyuran larvae. This work aims to fill that gap. There are 20 species of crabs in the Black Sea, belonging to 7 families: Cancridae with 1 species: Cancer pagurus L., 1758; Pirimelidae with 2 spp.; Portunidae (6 spp.); Xanthidae (4 spp.); Grapsidae (3 spp.; the presence of Planes minutus (L., 1758) for the Black Sea is not confirmed, therefore this species has not been included in the key); Majidae (3 spp.); and Potamidae (1 sp.). In this compilation, descriptions for the larvae of the families Cancridae and Potamidae are absent, because Potamon potamios (Olivier, 1804) has direct development, and the presence of Cancer pagurus is yet to be confirmed. The author presents no keys for some stages of larvae development, and no description of some stages, for various species: these blanks are due entirely to a lack of material.