Methanauplius krilli (species Nematoscelis difficilis ).
Methanauplius (from ancient Greek. Meta - “after” and nauplios - “swimming animal with armor”) is the larval stage of many crustacean species following the nauplius .
At the stage of the metanauplius, the first two pairs of appendages (which previously performed the function of movement) turn into antennules and antennas, which serve for touch, and the third pair, the mandibles ( mandibles ), perform the function of chafing food. The metanauplius moves with the help of the limbs of the newly formed maxillary and thoracic segments. The shell shell appears at the metanauplius stage. After a series of molts, the metanauplius turns into a young crustacean or protozoa (in some primitive shrimps).
Sources
- Methanauplius - article from the Biological Encyclopedic Dictionary.
- Metanauplius - an article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia . .