A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 1 of 2): The Lepadidae; Or, Pedunculated CirripedesDarwin, Charles
Science
A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 1 of 2): The Lepadidae; Or, Pedunculated Cirripedes
Darwin, Charles
Cirripedia; Lepadidae
_Generative System._--The penis (Pl. IV, fig. 9 _a_) is very singular in
structure; it is of the ordinary length, but of small diameter; it
tapers but little; it consists of a moveable articulated, and a fixed
unarticulated portion; this latter is smooth, much flattened, not
divided into segments, and projects straight out under the caudal
appendages; it is about one third of the length of the entire penis; it
corresponds with a part present in all Cirripedes, but here surprisingly
elongated. The articulated portion consists of separate segments, twenty
in number, quite as distinct as those of the cirri; each one is oblong,
being longer by about a third part than broad; each has a few short
bristles round its upper margin; the terminal segment has a circular
brush of bristles. The vesiculæ seminales are easily seen, though they
are narrow; they are slightly tortuous; they enter the prosoma, and lie
on each side of the stomach; their outer case has a ringed structure,
but is not fibrous; the contents in the best specimen consisted of a
mass of spermatozoa, which I saw with perfect distinctness. The testes
are unusually large and egg-shaped.
_Ova_, spherical, 5/400ths of an inch in diameter, united as usual into
two ovigerous lamellæ. The ovigerous fræna are extraordinarily small,
and might be very easily overlooked; their length, in a full-sized
specimen, was only 7/400ths of an inch, and they projected only 2/400ths
from the inner surface of the sack. The glands on their margin, to which
the lamellæ adhere, are pointed oval, with an extremely short footstalk,
and that rather thick; the entire length of gland and footstalk, being
only 2/3000ths of an inch. The larvæ, in their first stage of
development, offer the usual characters, and closely resemble those of
Scalpellum; the probosciformed mouth, however, is remarkably prominent,
and the limbs unusually thick.
_Affinities._--This species most closely resembles _I. Cumingii_, and
cannot be distinguished externally, except by the absence of the blue
colour on the marginal and interior portions of the valves; and this can
hardly be ascertained without separating and cleaning them, owing to the
blueness of the underlying corium. Internally some slight differences
may be perceived in the form of the valves. Considering these so slight
differences, it is highly remarkable that this species should be
hermaphrodite, whilst _I. Cumingii_ is unisexual. There is a greater,
though still slight, difference in the included animal’s body; the palpi
in _I. quadrivalvis_ are blunter, the mandibles smoother, the olfactory
orifices darker-coloured; the rami of the first cirrus more unequal, the
spines more numerous on the segments of the posterior cirri, and lastly
and most conspicuously, the caudal appendages are very much longer
relatively to the length of the sixth cirrus, than in _Ibla Cumingii_.
COMPLEMENTAL MALE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account