ABSTRACT
Crustaceans constitute one of the largest groups of the animal kingdom and a general description of the reproductive biology and ecology of this group would be impossible to accomplish. The problem arises from the extent of the fundamental differences relating to reproductive biology and ecology within the group. Arthropods are the largest phylum of animals and include the insects, arachnids, and crustaceans. Approximately 80% of extant animal species are arthropods, with over a million modern species described and a fossil record reaching back to the early Cambrian. The crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum. The decapods or decapoda are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca and the subclass Eumalacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimps. The order Decapoda is subdivided into two suborders, depending on the structure of the gills and legs and the mode of reproduction. Prawns make up the Dendrobranchiata.
