Uncinial patterns and age determination in terebellid polychaetes

This work seeks morphological criteria for estimating age and hence for demographic population studies. Observations on 6 species of terebellid polychaetes revealed a continuous formation of uncinial plates throughout the individual's life. As the replacement proceeds, the size of uncinial plat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine ecology. Progress series (Halstenbek) 1988-11, Vol.49 (3), p.267-275
Main Authors: Duchêne, J. C., Bhaud, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Animal age determination
Biometrics
Eupolymnia nebulosa
Exoskeletons
Insect larvae
Lanice conchilega
Larvae
Larval development
Life span
Marine
Neoleprea streptochaeta
Population studies
Terebellidae
Thelepus setosus
Thorax
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Summary:This work seeks morphological criteria for estimating age and hence for demographic population studies. Observations on 6 species of terebellid polychaetes revealed a continuous formation of uncinial plates throughout the individual's life. As the replacement proceeds, the size of uncinial plates increases and the torus bears larger and larger uncinial plates between the area where they appear and where they are shed. The rate of size increase is not constant; it is pronounced in young stages but progressively slows with age. Consequently, difference in size between uncinial plates of both extremes of a particular torus varies during the polychaete's life span. Uncinial distribution along the thorax shows the effect of change from a single to a double row. There is either retention of the same number of uncini (Neoleprea), doubling of the number (Lanice) or a middle increase (Eupolymnia).
ISSN:0171-8630
1616-1599
DOI:10.3354/meps049267