VIII. On the feeding mechanism of the Branchiopoda

Abstract

Introduction . In Lankester’s classical essay (1881) on the appendages of Apus he defines the proximal endite of the trunk limb as a “ gnathobase,” stating th at “ it is a jaw process ” and clearly has the function of assisting, by means of apposition to its fellow of the opposite side, in seizing and moving particles which may be introduced into the mouth ” (p. 348). Since then, various authors have discussed the homologies of the parts of the Branchiopod phyllopodium always referring to the basal endite as the gnathobase, and further, those workers who have investigated the feeding mechanisms of the Branchiopoda, Lundblad (1920), Naumann (1921) Storch (1924), and Eriksson (1928), have taken for granted that the basal endites move the food particles towards the mouth.