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Paralarvae (singular: ''paralarva'') are young cephalopods in the
Paralarvae (singular: ''paralarva'') are young cephalopods in the plankton
Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a crucia ...
ic stages between hatchling and subadult
A juvenile is an individual organism that has not yet reached its adult form, sexual maturity or size. Juveniles can look very different from the adult form, particularly in colour, and may not fill the same niche as the adult form. In many o ...
. This stage differs from the larval stage of animals that undergo true metamorphosis. Paralarvae have been observed only in members of the orders Octopoda and Teuthida.
The term was first introduced by Richard E. Young and Robert F. Harman in 1988.
Paralarvae usually spend an uncertain amount of time in the plankton and then typically descend to an adult habitat in the mesopelagic or bathypelagic zone. Their population abundance is dependent on the variation of mortality rates during the planktonic period.
See also
*Larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
...
*Crustacean larvae
Crustaceans may pass through a number of larval and immature stages between hatching from their eggs and reaching their adult form. Each of the stages is separated by a moult, in which the hard exoskeleton is shed to allow the animal to grow. The ...
References
Further reading
*Bigelow, Keith A. "Age and growth in paralarvae of the mesopelagic squid Abralia trigonura based on daily growth increments in statoliths." Marine ecology progress series. Oldendorf 82.1 (1992): 31–40. {{Cephalopod anatomy Cephalopod zootomy Larvae