Carapace fragile and ovoid (G. dracontovalis Habitus 1, G.
dracontovalis Habitus 2, G. dracontovalis Habitus 3, G.
dracontovalis Habitus 4). Gape between valves extends along over
three quarters of the carapace (G. dracontovalis Habitus 2, G.
dracontovalis Habitus 4). The rostrum small but with distinct
incisure (G. dracontovalis 1). Newly caught specimens
translucent and tinged with a violet-red pigment; any
eggs/embryos in the brood pouch violet. Naupliar eye with some
interference colour but is otherwise pale; probably as a result
of daylight rapidly bleaching the visual pigment. Poulsen (1962)
showed that the most reliable characters for distinguishing this
species from its congeners apart from the shape of the carapace,
are the numbers of spines in the vicinity of the rostrum and the
incisure. There are 44-70 "a" spines on the anterior region of
the rostrum from the dorsal point of coalescence of the shell to
the base of the incisure. Two "b" spines occur along the lower
edge of the incisure number, and