LARVAL FORMS IN

ECHINODERMATA

Name: Madhav Goel

Course: B.Sc. Hons. Zoology
Roll No.: Z-1052
In echinoderms, eggs and sperms are released in water and fertilization takes
place in water forming zygote. Echinoderms are deuterostomes and hence
cleavage is radial, holoblastic and indeterminate. The larvae hatch in water and
feed and grow through successive larval stages to become adults. The larvae of
echinoderms are bilaterally symmetrical but lose symmetry during
metamorphosis. Different classes of echinoderms show structurally different larval
stages and their comparisons can reveal their evolutionary ancestry.
Note: In echinoderms, development maybe direct or indirect. In direct
development, no larva is formed.

LARVAE FOUND IN PHYLUM

ECHINODERMATA
Class of Phylum Echinodermata Larval form

1. Asteriodea Bipinnaria & Brachiolaria

2. Ophiuroidea Ophiopkiteus

3. Echinoidea Echinopkrteus

4. Hobturoidea Auricularia

5. Crinoidea Dobolaria & Pentacrinoid

A. Dipleurula Larva:

Bather (1900) suggests that different forms of echinoderms possibly evolved from a

common ancestor resembling a hypothetical dipleurula larva.

1. The dipleurula form is reached during development and is characterised by its

bilaterally symmetrical, egg-shaped body.
2. Gut straight with a stomodaeum, stomach and proctodaeum. Anus is supposed

to be formed by atriopore.

3. The digestive canal is differentiated into oesophagus, stomach and intestine.

4. The pre-oral lobe which is situated at the anterior to mouth, bears an apical

sensory plate and a tuft of cilia.

5. Three paired coelomic sacs—axocoel, hydrocoel and somatocoel, with water
pores on the dorsal side.

6. Absence of skeletal structures.

The drawback of the concept is that it fails to explain the derivation of water

vascular system, the most distinctive feature of echinoderms.

B. Pentactula Larva:
This larval stage is regarded as the next evolutionary step of the Dipleurula larva.
This concept has been supported by Semon (1888), Burry (1895), Hyman (1955)

and many others. The concept advocates evolution of different groups of

echinoderms from a common ancestor resembling pentactula larva.

1. The Pentactula larva has five tentacles around the mouth.

2. The hydrocoel is separated from the rest of the coelom to form the future warer

vascular system.

However, the opening of the system of coelomic canals on the surface through a

canal developed from another portion of the coelom, i.e., the axocoel is not
explained.

C. Bipinnaria Larva:

1. This type of larva is characteristic of the class Asteroidea.

2. It possesses two ciliated bands—the pre-oral and the post-oral.
3. The pre-oral ciliated band surrounds the pre-oral lobe of the larva.

4. The pre-oral lobe is highly developed.

5. The post-oral ciliated band appears to be longitudinally placed and forms a

complete ring between the mouth and anus.

The bipinnaria larva bears a close resemblance with the auricularia larva of

Holothurians.
6. The body of bipinnaria larva is externally bilaterally symmetrical but subsequently

the internal structures assume asymmetry.

7. It is a free-swimming larva and the anterior end of the archenteron develops as

mouth and blastopore becomes the anus.

8. The pre-oral and post-oral ciliated bands are continued over a series of

prolongations of the body, called arms.

9. The name and number of the arms developing from pre-oral and post- oral

ciliated bands are as follows:

10. The pre-oral and ventro-median arms develop from the pre-oral ciliated band

and the rest of the arms develop from the post-oral ciliated band.

11. The arms are provided with muscles and are contractile in nature.
12. The antero-lateral arms are absent.
The bipinnaria is a feeding larva and leads a free-swimming life. After a short period
of free-swimming existence it transforms into a lecithotrophic brachiolaria larva.

D. Brachiolaria Larva:

1. This type of larva is present in Asteroidea and is regarded as a modified form of

bipinnaria larva. It possesses the following special features.

2. There are three additional arms which are not ciliated in their courses except in

Bipinnaria papillata. These arms are called the brachiolar arms and are beset with
warts to help in temporary adhesion.
3. These arms are devoid of calcareous rods and have prolongations from the
coelomic cavity.

The bipinnaria stage is followed by the brachiolaria stage in all Asteroids but direct
evidence is only furnished in two cases, e.g., Asterias glacialis and A. vulgaris. In
Astropecten the brachiolaria stage is absent and the bipinnaria larva
metamorphoses directly into adults.
E. Auricularia Larva:
1. The externally barrel shaped bilaterally symmetrical larva is present in
Holothuroidea and is characterised in having a single longitudinal ciliated band.
2. A free-swimming form.
3. The preoral lobe is well formed.
4. A single winding ciliated band, which may be produced into lobes.
5. Gut with mouth, sacciform stomach, hydrocoel and right and left stomocoels and
anus.

6. The hydrocoel becomes lobulated forming primary tentacles and communicates

with the hydropore by a canal.

7. Calcareous rods replaced by spheroid or star-shaped or wheel-like bodies.

The auricularia larva is transformed into a Doliolaria larva similar to that of

Crinoidea.
F. Doliolaria larva:
1. A free-swimming form.

2. Body barrel-shaped and bilaterally symmetrical.

3. Preoral lobe well-developed.

4. Wavy, continuous band break into 3-5 flagellated, transverse rings.

5. The gut with distinct zones.

Due to presence of enterocoelic coelom and some other minor resemblances, at-
tempts have been made to establish a relationship between auricularia and tornaria
larva of Hemichordata. This theory is now in dispute. Garstang (1894) propounded

that the tadpole larva of Ascidia probably evolved from auricularia larva.

G. Doliolaria Larva of Crinoidea:

1. A free-swimming form.
2. Body elongate oval, a little narrower posteriorly.
3. Presence of 4-5 transverse ciliated bands around the body.
4. An apical sensory plate with a bunch of cilia at the anterior end.
5. An adhesive pit over the first ciliary band in the mid-ventral line close to the apical
plate.
6. Gut with distinct zones and the stomodaeum between the second and third
ciliated bands.
7. The skeletal structures present.

The larva attaches itself to some support and the internal organs rotate at 90° angle
from ventral to posterior position. A stalk develops and the larva turns to a cystidian
larva, which metamorphoses to a young individual.

H. Pluteus Larva:
1. This larval form can be regarded as a modification of the auricularia larva of

Holothuroid.
2. Five to six pairs of arms supported by calcareous rods and with pigmented tips.

3. Arms are preoral, anterolateral, anterodorsal, postoral, posterodorsal and pos-

terolateral.

4. Presence of four ciliated bands forming epaulettes at the base of the postoral and
posterodorsal arms.

5. It has comparatively smaller pre-oral lobe.

6. The post-anal part of the body is quite well-developed.

The pluteus larvae are of two kinds:

(1) Ophiopluteus—in Ophiuroidea.
(2) Echinopluteus—in Echinoidea.

Ophiopluteus larva:
1. Free-swimming.
2. Arms are four pairs, slender and supported by calcareous skeleton.

3. Posterolateral arms are longest and directed forward, giving the larva V-shaped
appearance.

4. Ciliated bands are present on the edges of arms.

5. The alimentary canal is divisible into mouth, oesophagus, stomach and intestine
opening through the anus.

Ophiopluteus is the larva of Ophiuroidea. In viviparous forms, Amphiura vivipara,

the pluteus stage is omitted. In Ophionotus hexactis, the development takes place
in ovary and pluteus larva is devoid of arms and anus.
Echinopluteus larva:
1. Free-swimming.
2. Arms five or six pairs, pigmented and supported by calcareous skeleton.
3. The posterolateral arms are very short and directed outward or backward.
4. The skeletal rods simple or thorny or fenestrated or branched.
5. The zones of the alimentary canal are mouth, oesophagus, stomach and intestine
opening through the anus.
Echinopluteus is the larva of Echinoidea.
I. Antedon or Yolk Larva:
1. This particular larva is also called doliolaria larva or Vitellaria larva.

2. This larval stage is present in Antedon and it has many structural pecularities.
3. It has a barrel-shaped body with slightly flattened ventral side.

4. It is free-swimming and exhibits bilateral symmetry.

5. The ciliated bands are in the form of four or five separate transversely placed
bands encircling the body. In Antedon bifida, there are four bands. In Antedon

adriatica and A. mediterranea there are five bands.

6. A tuft of cilia with stiff sensory hair springs from a thickened ectodermal patch,
called apical neural plate, which is comparable to that of Tonaria larva of

Balanoglossus.
7. The anterior ciliated ring is ventrally incomplete.

8. There is a ciliated depression or larval mouth which is ventrally placed between

the second and third ciliated rings.
9. A small adhesive pit develops between the first and second ciliated rings by
which the larva adheres to the substratum.

10. The internal structures become rotated at an angle of 90° from the ventral to the
posterior side.

J. Cystidean or Pentacrinoid Larva:

1. This larval stage is also present in Crinoids. It is the second larval stage of

crinoids.
2. The anterior end of the antedon larva, after attachment, is prolonged into an

elongated narrow stalk and the free end becomes broader (Fig. 21.39L).
3. The ciliated depression becomes a closed ectodermal vesicle which is gradually

shifted to the free end.

4. The floor of the depression is perforated by mouth and with the disappearance of

the roof; the mouth and the tentacles become exposed.

5. This particular phase is called Cystidean or Pentacrinoid stage. This stage

resembles closely the adult Pentacrinus. The stalk in this form develops from the
pre-oral lobe.
6. This stage is quite similar to that of Asteroidea excepting that it lacks circumoral
vessel.

SIGNIFICANCE OF ECHINODERM LARVAE

The larval forms of all classes in Echinodermata will show general resemblance.
The crinoidea larva differs from this pattern. In general all the larvae show that they

might have come from same ancestor. Hence the common ancestor is coelomate,

bilaterally symmetrical and free swimming.

These larvae also show resemblance with Toronaria of Balanoglossus. Thus the
study of Echinoderm larva has a phylogenetic significance.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. http://www.iaszoology.com/echinoderm-larvae/

2. http://www.biologydiscussion.com/invertebrate-zoology/phylum-
echinodermata/larva-found-in-phylum-echinodermata/33758

3. http://www.notesonzoology.com/phylum-echinodermata/larvial-forms-of-
echinoderms-with-diagram/6223

4. http://www.biozoomer.com/2016/01/echinodermata-larvae.html