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The Postlarval Phase Of Bivalve Mollusks: A Review Of Functional Ecology And New Records Of Postlarval Drifting Of Chesapeake Bay Bivalves, P Baker, Roger L. Mann

VIMS Articles

Many bivalve mollusks have one or more separate post-metamorphic stages which are functionally distinct from the late juvenile or the adult. The benthic plantigrade and the planktonic postlarva are defined and reviewed here. The plantigrade is a developmentally obligatory stage in mast bivalves. Various anatomical or conchological features, depending on taxa, are intermediate between the veliger and the juvenile. The plantigrade is benthic but highly mobile, via the foot and byssus, relative to the adult, although in some highly mobile bivalves, the plantigrade is functionally similar to the adult. The plantigrade may enter the water column briefly, but not nearly …