Ecdysteroids, known as molting hormones, play central roles in the onset of molting, metamorphosis, and reproduction in arthropods. The ecdysteroids stored in eggs also play an important role in embryogenesis. In insects, ecdysteroids are stored as phosphate esters, which are converted to an active form by ecdysteroid-phosphate phosphatase (EPPase). Although EPPase is believed to be widely cons...

Neuromodulators can change the output of neural circuits. The crustacean cardiac ganglion (CG) drives the contractions of the heart. The CG is a direct target for neurohormones that are released from the pericardial organs and other neuroendocrine sites. In this study, we have characterized for the first time the physiological actions of the peptides red pigment concentrating hormone (RPCH), Ca...

The entire mitochondrial gene order of the crustacean Pagurus longicarpus was determined by sequencing all but approximately 300 bp of the mitochondrial genome. We report the first major gene rearrangements found in the clade including Crustacea and Insecta. At least eight mitochondrial gene rearrangements have dramatically altered the gene order of the hermit crab P. longicarpus relative to th...

The carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents (% of dry weight) of some crustacean zooplankton were studied in the Baltic Sea. The copepod Acartia sp. had a stable C and N content (48.3 ± 0.8% C, 12.4 ± 0.2% N, C:N ratio 4.5 ± 0.1). The P content was variable (1–2%), probably depending on developmental stage and season. Copepods accumulating fat, like Pseudocalanus minutus elongatus,...

Biogenic amines, particularly serotonin, are recognised to play an important role in controlling the aggression of invertebrates, whereas the effect of neurohormones is still underexplored. The crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone (cHH) is a multifunctional member of the eyestalk neuropeptide family. We expect that this neuropeptide influences aggression either directly, by controlling its expressi...

A novel visual capability, the detection of circularly polarised light, has been demonstrated in a mantis shrimp, a colourful crustacean from tropical reefs.

A vital feature in the success of Ecdysozoa is their ability to shed their exoskeleton (a process called ecdysis) such that they can grow or change their morphology. In holometabolous insects, these behaviors are orchestrated by the sequential actions of neuropeptides, one of which is crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP). Little is known about the control of ecdysis in hemimetabolous insects....

Arthropod molt is coordinated through the interplay between ecdysteroids and neuropeptide hormones. In crustaceans, changes in the activity of Y-organs during the molt cycle have been regulated by molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH) and crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH). Little has been known of the mode of direct effects of ecdysteroids on the levels of MIH and CHH in the eyestalk ganglia durin...