The life-histories of the bivalves Montacuta substriata and M. ferruginosa, ‘commensals’ with spatangoids

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Abstract
The life-histories of the erycinaceans Montacuta substriata and M. ferruginosa were investigated with special reference to the initiation of their ‘commensal’ associations. The planktotrophic larvae are released in summer as veligers after incubation within the adults, and they may spend several months in the plankton before settlement and metamorphosis. Larvae of both species, isolated from the Plymouth plankton, were reared to post-larval stages that were comparable with spat found associated with spatangoids. Some corrections are made of the identifications of planktonic larvae, of these and other Erycinacea, by previous authors. Experiments showed that, apart from being more active, the responses of walking post-larvae are similar to those I have described previously with adults. It is considered that the reactions operate, in an integrated manner similar to the adults, in initiating their associations with spatangoids; the behaviour of the adults in maintaining and re-establishing their associations would thus represent a retention of larval faculties. Possible reasons for the restriction of M. substriata to superficial burrowers and the less specific occurrences of small M. ferruginosa amongst spatangoids—including both deep and shallow-burrowing species—are discussed.

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