Embryological stages of the marine turtle Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz)

Embryos of the Pacific Ridley Turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea , obtained from eggs from the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica and Panama, developing on a beach and others incubated in the laboratory respectlvely, were exarnined and evaluated in terms of development by means of an lndex of Morphological Development (IMD); selected morphological characters and measurements were used to diagnose 31 different developmental stages from gastrula to neonate.