Direct development in a Nudibranch, <i>Cadlina laevis</i>, with a discussion of developmental processes in Opisthobranchia

Abstract

Cadlina laevis (L.) is the first British species of nudibranch shown to possess direct development. The embryo leaves the egg-capsule approximately 50 days (at 10° C) after oviposition, and resembles the adult in the general form of the body. Sufficient food reserves remain to sustain life and apparent growth for more than 1 week of benthic life. A vestigial veliger phase is passed through within the egg-capsule. The shell, velum, mantle, and metapodium-rudiment resemble transitorily those organs of opisthobranch veliger larvae, but certain veliger structures (larval kidney, velar locomotor and pedal cilia) are vestigial in Cadlina , and others are altogether absent (operculum, larval retractor muscle, subvelar ridges, metapodial mucus-gland, pedal sensory cilia, and nephrocysts). In the Opisthobranchia three distinct development types can be recognized. Type 1 includes those species which possess planktotrophic veliger larvae. Type 2 comprises the species which have lecithotrophic larvae (in the sense employed by Ockelmann, 1965). Type 3 species have direct development, in which many veliger structures may be briefly recapitulated before hatching. Species of type 3 possess eggs of the largest sizes, species of type 2 in general have smaller eggs, while species of type 1 possess the smallest eggs. There is a positive correlation between egg size and the length of the embryonic period, and an inverse correlation between both and batch size. Within any development-type, the largest species tend to produce larger eggs in greater numbers. Within any species, the largest individuals tend to produce more eggs than do the smaller individuals; egg size varies little through the geographical range.