Larval development in Dermatobranchus sp. (Nudibranchia: Arminina)

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 8 years ago

ABSTRACT – An undescribed species of the genus Dermatobranchus (Nudibranchia: Arminina), from Eastern Australia, produces a crescent-shaped, cylindrical egg mass, with mean egg size of 81 μm x 100 μm (n=10), SD = 9,  6.6 μm, respectively). Within one week of spawning, the eggs hatch into planktonic veliger larvae 130 μm in diameter, which possess a spiral protoconch. The larvae pass through three distinct stages of development, growing to a maximum size of 170 μm in diameter, prior to settling and metamorphosis into adults. There is scant knowledge available on the embryology and larval development within the Arminina, and this new species provides an insight into ontological development within this suborder.