Scanning electron microscopy of acrothoracican cypris larvae (Crustacea, Thecostraca, Cirripedia, Acrothoracica, Lithoglyptidae)

Abstract
Scanning electron microscopy was used to provide a full morphological description of cypris morphologyin the acrothoracican species Lithoglyptes milis and L. habei (Lithoglyptidae).Special attention was givento lattice organs, antennules, thorax, thoracopods, abdomen, and furcal rami. Cypris larvae of the Acrothoracica share some putative plesiomorphic features with the cypris-like ascothoracid larvae of the non-cirripede taxon Ascothoracida. The most notable are traces of abdominal segmentation and carapace lattice organs without pore fields. Acrothoracican cyprids also share numerous synapomorphies with those of the Thoracica and the Rhizocephala. This list includes a four-segmented antennule with a triangular first segment of two sclerites set at an angle to each other, a cylindrical second segment, a small third segment functioning asan attachment organ, and a cylindrical fourth segment bearinghomologous sensory setae. Further apomorphies are a pair of frontolateral horn glands exiting anteroventrally on the headshield (carapace), a pair of multicellular cement glands exiting on the attachment organs, a single stout, serrated and non-natatory seta on the thoracopodal exopods and a highly reduced abdomen with at best traces of segmentation. These synapomorphies in cypris morphology supporta monophyletic taxon Cirripedia comprising the Acrothoracica, Thoracica, and Rhizocephala but excluding the Ascothoracida.