Manca

The manca (plural: mancae) are post-larval juveniles in some crustaceans. The manca stage is the defining characteristic of a clade called Mancoida which comprises all the member of the Peracarida except the Amphipoda.[1] Mancae closely resemble the adult form, but for the absence of the last pair of pereiopods.[1] In some isopods, specifically the family Cymothoidae, the manca stage is a parasite of fish, and is also known as the praniza.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Peter Ax (2000). "Peracarida". The Phylogenetic System of the Metazoa. Multicellular Animals. 2. Springer. pp. 174–178. ISBN 9783540674061. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=FweHI7uZ198C&pg=PA176. 
  2. ^ Albert O. Bush (2001). "Crustacea". Parasitism: the Diversity and Ecology of Animal Parasites. Cambridge University Press. pp. 226–241. ISBN 9780521664479. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Q6Kl0FbvStoC&pg=PA235.