Seasonal occurrence and size distribution of postlarval brown and white shrimp near Galveston, Texas, with notes on species identification.

Post larvae of the genus Penaeus were collected at the entrance to Galveston Bay Tex., over a 4-year period and along Galveston Island's beach during a 1-year period. Postlarval brown shrimp, P. aztecus, and white shrimp, P. setiferus, were the predominant penaeids caught. Morphological characters, seasonal size differences, and occurrence of juveniles in adjacent nursery areas were used to identify these species. Season occurrence, size distribution, and measures of relative abundance are given for postlarvae of the two species. The uniformity in size of postlarvae from collections along the beach and at the bay entrance indicated that small shrimp do not grow much when they are along the beach.