Instar 17 LD phyllosoma were also significantly larger than instar 17 HD phyllosoma. The C:N ratio confirmed proportionally more lipid than protein was accumulated during lar- val development before a significant decrease in lipid reserves between instar 17 and the puerulus stage by over 21% to fuel the process of metamorphosis and the non-feeding puerulus stage. The study demonstrated the larval phase of S. verreauxi is important for accumulating lipid reserves to fuel metamorphosis and the puerulus stage and provides a more complete picture of the culture requirements of spiny lobsters during on- togeny, particularly for the rarely studied late phyllosoma instars.