Thor Amboinensis - Life Cycle

Life Cycle

The female Thor amboinensis carries the fertilised eggs under her abdomen until they are ready to hatch. The zoeal larvae pass through several stages and, before undergoing metamorphosis, are attracted by both chemical cues in the water and visual cues which cause them to settle near potential host anemones. Researchers found that the larvae of Thor amboinensis were generalists, being attracted by and accepting several different species of anemone as hosts. In some experiments they had a preference for the species of anemone from which the parent shrimp had been collected.