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
_Habits and Concluding Remarks._--The males are imbedded in the spinose
chitine border of the occludent margin of the scuta, exactly over an
oblique fold or notch (fig. 15 _á_ _a_), close by the umbo. This fold
has no direct relation to the males, but being present is taken
advantage of by them; for it occurs in the young hermaphrodite, before
the attachment of the males, and in species of the genus in which the
males are attached to other parts. It occurs, also, in fossil species of
Pollicipes, and in these it seems caused by the upper inner part of the
valve being rendered more and more prominent during growth: in the
present species, I suspect, its origin is connected with the formation
of a ridge bounding the outer side of the pit for the adductor scutorum
muscle: we shall see in the next species, that this fold is of the
highest importance in relation to the position of the Males. The
transparent chitine border of the scuta is broad, and fills up the fold
in the shell, so that the outline of the occludent margin is not
affected by it: in the drawing (fig. 9) some of the inner layers of
chitine (_e_ _e_), which dipped into and filled up the fold, have been
removed, that the lower part of the animal might be more plainly
exhibited. The chitine bears numerous spines of various lengths, which
must afford some protection to the males, rudely arranged in lines,
parallel to the edge of the valve, indicating the successively-formed
layers of chitine; each spine has a fine, tortuous tubulus connecting
its base with the underlying corium. The extreme outer edge of the
border is thin, forming a kind of lip, close beneath which the delicate
tunic lining the sack is attached. During continued growth, the valve is
added to in thickness, and so is the chitine border, and likewise in
breadth. It appears that the larva of the male must attach itself on the
under side of this border, on the edge of the tunic of the sack, and
that by the action of the cement, the corium beneath is killed (as I
believe always is the case with other parasitic Cirripedia), whereas on
both sides, the chitine continues to be added to, so that the male,
excepting the upper and always projecting portion, becomes imbedded at
first laterally, and ultimately all round: I have seen specimens in
several different stages of imbedment. Hence, in old specimens, with a
thick and broad chitine border, it might and does come to pass that one
male is imbedded (the valve being laid flat) directly beneath another.
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