Our larvae are slowly developing morphological complexity, from translucent blobs of tissue to the differentiated subjects below. Each of these guys shows a developing larval skeleton: in Parasticopus, the skeleton is still just a calcified disk in a projection near the anus. For Stongylocentrotus and Dendraster, the skeletal system is far more complex, composed of long spiny arms, and internal buttresses. In particular, Dendraster has a rather striking hinge (above the stomach), while late pluteus of Strongylocentrotus has a web of skeletal plates circling the stomach, just above the developing rudiment.
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| P. parvimensis (20X) |
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| S. purpuratus (20X) |
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| D. excentricus (5X) |
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