Larval development and settlement of the barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite from the Red Sea: Influence of the nauplii hatching season

Barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite adults were collected from the Jeddah coast of the Red Sea during different seasons. The nauplii released by adults in autumn, winter, spring and summer were reared under laboratory conditions to know the larval development duration and settlement in relation to the hatching season. The nauplii reared during winter (11 days) and autumn (13 days) took longer to reach the cypris stage compared to nauplii reared in summer (6 days) and spring (7 days). The most successful settlement of larvae was observed in spring and summer and the least successful — in winter. The observations of gonads showed that summer and spring are the active breeding season for A. amphitrite in the Red Sea. The results of this study indicated that the nauplii hatching season plays a significant role in the larval development and settlement of barnacles in the Red Sea.