Correlation between cypris age, settlement rate and anatomical development inLernaeodiscus porcellanae(Cirripedia: Rhizocephala)

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Abstract
The correlation between settlement rate, cypris age and anatomical maturation on the ultrastructural level was studied in female cyprids ofLernaeodiscus porcellanae, a rhizocephalan parasite of the porcelain crabPetrolisthes cabrilloi. There is no settlement on crabs until the cyprids are at least 2–3 days old, and maximum settlement activity is only reached 5 days after the moult from nauplius to cyprid (at 15 °C). Thereafter the settlement rate decreases again, possibly due to depletion of energy reserves in the non-feeding cyprids. Ultrastructural investigations show that the female cyprids cannot metamorphose into a kentrogon until 2–3 days after the moult from nauplius to cyprid, which explains the absence of settlement in young cyprids. Competence to metamorphose depends on changes in the cement glands, the epidermis and the antennules. The cypris moult cycle is arrested at an early stage and moult activity is only resumed after settlement. This ensures that the cyprids will not initiate metamorphosis while free-swimming.

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