Nauplius (Crustacea) Movies

Nauplius Video No. 1 - A close-up of a translucent nauplius as it scampers across the microscope field; under darkfield illumination at a magnification of 200x with a playing time of 8.1 seconds. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 28.8k (modem), 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL, or download this video clip in MPEG format (3.37 MB).

Nauplius Video No. 2 - Its single eyespot and three pairs of appendages are easy to see in this slow-swimming nauplius; under oblique illumination with a playing time of 31.7 seconds. Choose a playback format that matches your connection speed: 28.8k (modem), 56.6k (modem), or T1/Cable/DSL, or download this video clip in MPEG format (13.2 MB).

The nauplius is the most primitive crustacean larval type found in existing crustaceans. It is the first larval stage that emerges from the egg and the earliest free-swimming phase in crustacean development. Generally, it has an oval shaped body, three pairs of appendages, and a single median eye near the front. In terms of sheer numbers, the crustacean nauplius is considered by some to be the most abundant type of multi-cellular animal on earth and is an important food source for fish and predatory invertebrates.