The larval and post-larval hinge of some families of bivalve molluscs

Abstract

Bivalve larvae constitute an important part of the plankton and there is a pressing need to be able to identify the various species.The study of the development of the larval and post-larval hinge by scanning electron microscopy of 18 bivalve species shows the importance of this structure, which represents the principal character in identification of the young larval stages. This paper presents the principal distinguishing characters of the hinge (denticles, teeth and ligament) in eight families of bivalves.