trochophore larvae
Ciliated marine young
Trochophore larvae are the tiny, free-swimming larval stage of many marine invertebrates—mollusks, annelid worms, and some other groups.
Shaped like a spinning top, they have bands of cilia that propel them through water and draw in food.
The trochophore eventually metamorphoses into the adult form.
The singular is trochophore larva.
- molluskSoft-bodied invertebrate, often shelled
- annelidSegmented worm phylum member
- ciliaHairlike cellular projections
- mesodermEmbryonic tissue forming muscles
- polychaeteSegmented marine annelid
gastrula · spiral · bivalve · gastropod · clam · squid · cephalopod · cleavage · drifting · settling · metamorphosis · invertebrate · spinning · developmental · zooplankton · hatching · swimming · larva
- planktonzooplankton, phytoplankton, krill, copepods, copepod
developmental stage
trochophore larvaeadult form
Fully developed organism
mature adult · imago · juvenile · zygote · fertilized egg