A number of investigators have reported increased survivorship of juvenile crayfish reared on algal suspensions rather than on solid diets. The gross anatomy of crustacean oral appendages is well known; however, no detailed studies of filter feeding have appeared. Consequently we have described the filter-feeding current observed during periods of algal filtering as well as the filter apparatus. The filter is formed by the first maxillipeds and the maxillae. Four types of setae are found on the oral appendages and the setal spacing in the filter (4–5 μm) is very similar in adult and juvenile Orconectes immunis. It is suggested that juveniles must filter feed, while adults are opportunistic filter feeders.
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Budd et al. (1978) studied this question.
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