Quote:
Originally posted by FuEl
Hi Luis, hope you don't mind me jumping onto your post. Just thought a clearer picture of zoea I larvae would be of interest to other viewers. My larvae was curled up though, different from your stretched out photo. 
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You´re very welcome Junkai,and your picture is very good!
Wow,so much to be said about such a tiny larva!
BTW,I forgot to give the size of the larva,it is 2.8 mm.
Your pic is so clear that even the endopod of mp2 can be seen at the left side.
This reminds me that I´m talking about "walking legs"and "swimming legs"as I think this is easy to understand for everybody.This is not technical,however and might be objected by some specialists.So a short glossary and explanation could help because the development of the larval appendix is somewhat complex.
"Real"legs are called pereiopods (pp)
Maxillipedia (mp)are appendix used for feeding in the adult,the third pair (mp3)are those white "legs"cleaners use to remove fish parasites.
Pleopods (pl)are the swimmerettes.
In the larva,each of this appendix(except pp5) are split in two branches,called exopodites (my "swimming legs") and endopodites (my "walking legs") .
A new born larva,(zoea1)has no pp yet,and swims with the mp2 and mp3.
As it develops, real legs,pp will show,one at a time and lastly the pleopods.When these are fully developed the last zoeal stage is reached and the larva is ready to settle.
So the "swimming legs"are the exop. of:mp2,mp3,pp1,pp2,pp3 and pp4.
And the "walking legs"are the endop. of mp3,pp1,pp2,pp3,pp4 and pp5.
That was my best effort to make it simple,which it is not!
