A critique to the study of larval development in euphausiacea

Abstract

The workers on the larval development in euphausiids the world over have noted variations in the combinations of larval characters present in the similar stages of development of different species or even in the same species. Subsequently there has been a lot of discussion on the correct classification and nomenclature of different larval stages in these animals. It is known that the larval development of the same species distributed in different ecological realms followed different courses towards their adulthood either by increasing or decreasing the number of stages or showing a difference in the combination of larval characters in particular stage in their life history. This has led to much confusion in the scientific world with regard to following any conventional method for tracing the developmental pathway of euphausiids.