The Development of the Polychaete

The eggs of Haploscoloplos fragilis, laid in gelatinous cocoons, develop as yolky trochophores which add 4 segments before hatching on the 6th day and two more during a pelagic phase before settling and the onset of feeding on the 10th day. The 6 (embryonic) segments bear a metatroch and 5 amphitrochs. The embryo also has an akrotroch, prototroch, telotroch, and neurotroch. All cilia disappear after settling, when the embryo shows resumption of segment formation. Anterior to the first trunk segment lie the prostomium and mouth region. The latter becomes subdivided by an annulus, but later fuses with the first trunk segment as the peristomium. All other segments become chaetigerous, the 5 embryonic being of thoracic type, the postembryonic abdominal. At the posterior end of the body lies the pygidium, with the segment-forming growth zone immediately in front of it. The development of trunk segments in two series, embryonic and post-embryonic, is characteristic of ariciids, as is the fusion of the first trunk segment with the mouth region to form the peristomium. It is possible that the mouth region incorporates at least one other cephalized segment. Ariciid eggs vary in size among species. No direct relationship exists between egg size and pelagic development. The mode of oviposition also varies. Whether or not a pelagic phase occurs depends on the stage at which the embryo becomes free in the water, which is governed in turn by properties of the cocoon (e.g. jelly viscosity). A pelagic phase is always associated with enhanced ciliation, while in non-pelagic development ciliation is reduced. The basic ciliation (akrotroch, prototroch, metatroch, telotroch, and neurotroch) is usually supplemented by additional segmental bands.