Size regulation in larvae of the crustacean Balanus eburneus (Cirripedia: Thoracica)

The authors tested the hypothesis that larval size in the acorn barnacle Balanus eburneus Gould (Cirripedia: Thoracica) varies in relation to food availability, in larvae obtained from adults collected in the Newport River, North Carolina, USA. Mean naupliar instar size was independent of food concentration. Mean size of the cypris instar increased with increasing food level. Experimental evidence implies that size regulation in Balanus eburneus limits variation about a fixed final naupliar size (e.g. volume). Measurement of naupliar size, accumulated energy reserves, survival and development time, and cypris metamorphic success indicated that naupliar cuticular growth is the most conservative feature of larval development.