maxilliped

Maxillipeds

Up to three pairs of legs are modified to maxillipeds, which assist manipulation of food items by passing food forward to either the mandibles for chewing or to the maxillae for cutting into smaller pieces. The somite of the maxillipeds may be fused to the cephalon. In some animals, predominantly amphipods but also some isopods such as Gnathiids, these legs are referred to as the gnathopods or gnathopodites; these differ from maxillipeds by either being prehensile, subchelate, or chelate.