Pleon of five incompletely separated pleomeres, first four bearing very slender
biramous pleopods, their endopodites much smaller.
Anterior
biramous parapodia with dorsal cirri twice as long as the ventral cirri, but similar in width; notopodial ligules triangular, superior one longer than wide, inferior one about as long as wide.
pugaporcinus has well-developed B1 and B2 annulations and
biramous parapodia on these segments.
The antennules are
biramous, with an inner and an outer flagellum.
The functional outcome is flexibility of position and movement at the other end of the tail where the
biramous appendages (uropods) of the sixth abdominal segment, together with the telson, form a tailfan (Fig.
The larvae remain in the water column and move slowly by beating the external rami, exopodites, of their
biramous limbs (Ennis, 1995).
The exopodites of the thoracic limbs are lost, and locomotion is provided by the endopodites - which become the pereiopods, or walking legs - and by the
biramous pleopods of the abdomen.
