A special moult after the release of the embryo from the brood pouch of Anomopoda (Branchiopoda, Crustacea): a return to an old question

In the past there were doubts about the existence of a especial moult after the release of an anomopod embryo from the maternal brood pouch. This moult occurs in all studied anomopods and marks the beginning of the first juvenile instar. The term 'neonata (or neanate)' must be applied to the unexpanded animal (the terminal phase of embryogenesis) before this moult, and not to the early phase of the first postembryonic instar. The latter is the next stage of development. Using knowledge of the presence of this moult, it is possible to understand and explain the contradictions in the periodization of postembryonic development as described by different authors. Under normal conditions males of bosminids and evolutionarily advanced chydorids have only two juvenile instars (with specific morphology) in the course of development. This is an additional argument to support the idea of close relationship of the families Chydoridae and Bosminidae.