About Cirolana harfordi (Lockington, 1877)
Cirolana harfordi has an oval, dorsoventrally compressed body, and a pair of antennae that it uses to find food and mates. Its body is typically white with fine brown spots, and it can grow up to 2 centimeters in length. Ecologically, Cirolana harfordi acts as both a scavenger and a predator, feeding on crustaceans and polychaetes, especially Syllis fasciata. A single meal can fill the isopod's elastic digestive system and provide enough nutrition to sustain the organism for three weeks. In its life cycle, female Cirolana harfordi give birth one or two times over their two-year lifespan. Like all species in the superorder Peracarida, they deposit their eggs directly into a specialized pouch called the marsupium, which is positioned between the third and sixth walking legs. The developing young are brooded in this pouch for 3 to 4 months while they go through several molts, after which they emerge as mancae: juveniles that closely resemble the adult form. Each brood holds between 18 and 68 young.
