Cephalopod development: from descriptive embryology to evolutionary developmental

The history of developmental studies on cephalopods is briefly surveyed, from the middle of the 19th century to the present. An early phase was marked by many technical limitations partly related to the absence of marine laboratories before 1870. Since the early 20th century, the existence of embryological research facilities in marine laboratories has thoroughly changed the situation. The pioneering work of Naef based on morphological description of embryogenesis combined with evolutionary hypotheses constituted the genesis of the present Evo-Devo field in cephalopods. Today the possibilities to analyze development at a molecular level permit an access to evolutionary mechanisms but also reveal how long the way to be covered remains till full understanding of cephalopod evolution.