No feeding is necessary since the larvae develop through metamorphosis exclusively on their own yolk content. The egg of L. inhaerens is very transparent and fragile. It is surrounded by a narrow coat of jelly. The ovum, on removal from the egg-string, is not quite spherical and measures between 190 and 209 microns in its longest diameter. The germinal vesicle is very large and contains a conspicuous nucleolus.
Segmentation is total and equal in both species.
However, the free-swimming gastrula of L. inhaerens can be seen about 24 hours after fertilization. NO auricularia larva is developed. The free-swimming life is short and the larva remains near the bottom. Metamorphosed animals up to 5 cm. The breeding of animals at Woods Holl during the months of June, July and August.