Absence of gregarious settling Behaviour by female cypris larvae of British parasitic rhizocephalan barnacles

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Abstract
Barnacle cypris larvae, the specialized settlement stage of the life-cycle, are classical examples of larvae showing gregarious settlement. Gregarious settlement is shown when the larva is induced to settle by established individuals of its own or of a closely related species, reflecting the ability of the larva to recognize its own type, usually by chemo-tactile detection of a particular settlement inducing factor (see Crisp (1974) for review). Sessile barnacles such as species of Balanus or Chthamalus are typically hermaphrodite and gregarious settlement is of selective advantage in promoting the possibility of cross-fertilization, in addition to allowing a settling larva to identify a habitat providing all the necessary conditions for barnacle growth and development.