Antennular morphology of the cypris larvae of the mangrove barnacle Fistulobalanus albicostatus (Cirripedia: Thoracica: Balanomorpha)

Abstract

Previous studies on the ultrastructure of barnacle cypris larvae suggest that cypris morphology, especially the antennules which play a key role in selecting the final substratum for settlement, may show variations between species existing in different habitats. In the present study, the cypris morphology of the barnacle Fistulobalanus (Balanus) albicostatus, which predominantly lives on trunks of mangrove trees was investigated using scanning electron microscopy and compared with that of species from other habitats that have already been described. The antennular segments II and III of F. albicostatus each bear one post-axial seta. The third segment consists of an attachment disc surrounded by a thin cuticular velum and the fourth segment exhibits four sub-terminal setae and five terminal setae. The morphology of the cypris antennules of F. albicostatus is similar to other balanomorph barnacles which inhabit hard shores, revealing that the antennular morphology does not have diagnostic variations between species from the different intertidal habitats. The morphology of the caudal rami (used in the evaluation of the substratum microtopography), however, appears to vary among barnacles living on different substrata.