Some observations on the swimming and feeding of the nauplius larvae of Lepas pectinata (Girripedia: Crustacea)

Limb movements of restrained stage VI nauplii of Lepas pectinata were studied by cine-photography. Outline drawings were made of successive limb positions in both swimming and grooming activity. The antennae appeared to act as leaky paddles performing both propulsion and food gathering. Free-swimming nauplii averaged 120 limb beats min^-1 and a speed of c. 4 mm s^-1. Grooming occurred every 7–20 beats.
It was concluded that lack of streamlining favours filtration at the expense of propulsion. The grooming sequence differs from that of balanid nauplii and is one method of transferring food to the vicinity of the mouth, where sorting and rejection take place prior to ingestion. Fine- and coarse-mesh filters presumably exploit different plankton types. The overall behaviour pattern is well-designed for exploitation of scarce food in the oligotrophic conditions of the ocean-surface habitat.     

Speciation and the establishment of zonation in an intertidal barnacle: specific settlement vs. selection

The tropical barnacle Tetraclita forms a belt on hard substrates in the intertidal zone of the Red Sea. Based on morphological data, three distinct species were suggested to exist, occupying different vertical levels - T. barnesorum, T. rufotincta and T. achituvi. In this study we used molecular (12S mitochondrial ribosomal DNA) and ecological data to examine whether this morphological variability reflects genetic differences, or is a result of environmental factors. Adults and spats, collected from settlement plates, were censused and screened genotypically using single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis, and settlement dynamics was recorded. We provide evidence for the existence of only two distinct species, and point out both phenotypic plasticity and convergence within and between the proposed species. Cyprids of T. achituvi settle specifically at the lower part of the Tetraclita belt, and feature one phenotype. In contrast, T. rufotincta, occupying the upper and middle portions of the Tetraclita belt, settles throughout the range, shows phenotypic plasticity (three variants), and presumably undergoes selection at the lower part. Thus, the vertical zonation of Tetraclita is produced by the combination of pre-settlement and post-settlement factors, in T. achituvi and T. rufotincta, respectively. The examined system may offer a model in which to study the mechanisms underlying sympatric speciation.     

Effects of tidal height and wave exposure on cirrus and penis morphology of the acorn barnacle Tetraclita stalactifera

Exposure to wave action and other environmental factors can alter the morphology of intertidal barnacles. We tested several hypotheses on the causes of morphological variation in the cirri and penises of the barnacle Tetraclita stalactifera at sites differing in wave exposure, at different heights in the intertidal zone, and at different levels of population density. Unlike many other acorn barnacle species, cirrus and penis characteristics did not correspond to differences in wave exposure or crowding. However, barnacles from higher tidal elevations had thicker cirri and thicker penises than those from lower elevations. Because of reduced time submerged at higher elevations, increased thickness may be a means of compensating for reduced feeding and mating opportunity by allowing for continued feeding and mating attempts during periods of greater wave action. Our observations of differences in cirrus and penis morphology suggest that phenotypic plasticity in penis and cirrus characteristics are adaptations shared by the species T. stalactifera and other acorn barnacles, but that T. stalactifera responds differently to environmental stimuli than do other species.     

Cirripedia of Madeira

We give a list of Cirripedia from Madeira Island and nearby deep water, based on specimens in the collection of the Museu Municipal do Funchal (História Natural) (MMF), records mentioned in the literature, and recent collections. Tesseropora atlantica Newman and Ross, 1976 is recorded from Madeira for the first time. The Megabalanus of Madeira is M. azoricus. There are 20 genera containing 27 species, of which 22 occur in depths less than 200 m. Of these shallow water species, eight are wide-ranging oceanic forms that attach to other organisms or to floating objects, leaving just 13 truly benthic shallow water barnacles. This low diversity is probably a consequence of the distance from the continental coasts and the small area of the available habitat. No endemic species have been found.     

The impact of food type, temperature and starvation on larval development of Balanus amphitrite Darwin (Cirripedia: Thoracica)

The impact of diatom food species (Chaetoceros calcitrans and Skeletonema costatum), temperature and starvation on the larval development of Balanus amphitrite was evaluated. Starvation threshold levels for different ages of larvae (0- to 5-day-old) fed with C. calcitrans and S. costatum and then starved at 5, 15 and 25 °C temperature were estimated as ultimate recovery hour (URH; denoting the starvation point in hours at the end of which larvae can recover and continue development). Effect of temperature on starvation threshold varied significantly with larval age and food species. The URH declined with larval age at 5 °C, but not at 15 and 25 °C. The URH and grazing rates were high for early instars fed on C. calcitrans, and for advanced instars fed on S. costatum. Carbon gain through feeding was maximum for 2-day-old larvae when fed with C. calcitrans and decreased with larval age. However, when fed with S. costatum carbon gain increased with larval age. This confirms that with development the utility of food types changes. The differences in the carbon gain can be attributed to differences in grazing rate due to variations in the size of the diatom cells, larval intersetular distance, diatom sinking rate and the photo-taxic behavior of larvae. Molting was observed at times when larvae were undergoing starvation and this could be viewed as stress-induced molting, and it differed with the larval age and food organisms.     

Invertebrates of the Salton Sea: a scanning electron microscopy portfolio

Scanning electron microphotographs of 16 Salton Sea invertebrate species are presented within this portfolio. A wide spectrum of invertebrates was investigated including foraminiferans, a flatworm, a rotifer, annelids, crustaceans and insects. Additional information is provided on the morphology and function of structures visible in the images.     

Three new Verrucidae (Crustacea: Cirripedia) from the Upper Eocene of the Euganean Hills (Northeast Italy)

Marls with pillow lavas of Late Eocene age from Castelnuovo in the Euganean Hills (Padua, NE Italy) have yielded three new verrucid cirripede species, Verruca veneta nov. sp., Costatoverruca? seguenzai nov. sp., and Metaverruca euganea nov. sp. The stratigraphic distribution of these taxa is discussed in light of previous verrucid records and their geologic context is established. They represent the oldest known verrucids from Italy.     

Phylogeny and evolution of life history strategies of the parasitic barnacles (Crustacea, Cirripedia, Rhizocephala)

The barnacles (Crustacea, Cirripedia) consist of three well-defined orders: the conventional filter-feeding barnacles (Thoracica), the burrowing barnacles (Acrothoracica), and the parasitic barnacles (Rhizocephala). Thoracica and Acrothoracica feed by catching food particles from the surrounding seawater using their thoracic appendages while members of Rhizocephala are exclusively parasitic. The parasite consists of a sac-shaped, external reproductive organ situated on the abdomen of its crustacean host and a nutrient-absorbing root system embedded into the heamolymph of the host. In order to resolve the phylogenetic relationship of the order Rhizocephala and elucidate the evolution of the different life history strategies found within the Rhizocephala, we have performed the first comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the group. Our results indicate that Rhizocephala is monophyletic with a filter-feeding barnacle-like ancestor. The host-infective stage, the kentrogon larva, inserted in the lifecycle of the rhizocephalan suborder, Kentrogonida, is shown to be ancestral and most likely a homologue of the juvenile stage of a conventional thoracican barnacle. The mode of host inoculation found in the suborder Akentrogonida, where the last pelagic larval stage directly injects the parasitic material into the heamolymph of the host is derived, and has evolved only once within the Rhizocephala. Lastly, our results show that the ancestral host for extant rhizocephalans appears to be the anomuran crustaceans (Anomura), which includes hermit crabs and squat lobsters.     

Larval development of the chthamaloid barnacles Catomerus polymerus Darwin, Chamaesipho tasmanica Foster & Anderson and Chthamulus antennatus Darwin (Crustacea: Girripedia)

The presence of embryos in the mantle cavity of Catomerus polymerus, Chamaesipho tasmanica and Chthamalus antennatus was monitored over a two year period. C. polymerus and C. tasmanica show a clearly defined breeding season spanning late autumn, winter and early spring. C. antennatus breeds more continuously throughout the year, with a decline in breeding during the winter. The larval stages of C. polymerus, C. tasmanica and C. antennatus are described from larvae reared in the laboratory. Morphological differences allow each larval stage of the three species to be distinguished without difficulty. Unique larval features permit identification to superfamily, family and genus. The similarities of chthamaloid nauplii to those of lepadomorphs and verrucomorphs and their differences from the nauplii of other balanomorphs are discussed. Larval evidence supports the view that the chthamaloids are related more closely than other balanomorphs to the lepadomorphs, and that the coronuloids and balanoids share a comon derivation from the chthamaloids.