Abstract
Endeis laevis (Grube) is the more littoral of the two British members of the Endeidae (Pycnogonida). The process of vitellogenesis is examined. It closely resembles that of annelids and Limulus polyphemus, in which the majority of the yolk is synthesised within the oocyte with only a small contribution from outside the oocyte. This contrasts with the method in insects in which most of the yolk comes from outside the oocyte. The vitellogenic process is slow, the eggs accumulating yolk over the winter. Although E. laevis has two reproductive cycles each year, only one brood is produced, juveniles occurring over a restricted period (July and early August).
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Communicated by J.H.S. Blaxter, Oban
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Jarvis, J.H., King, P.E. Egg development and the reproductive cycle in the pycnogonid Endeis laevis . Marine Biology 33, 331–339 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00390571
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00390571