ABSTRACT
A survey of the external and internal features of the foreguts of the lower Decapoda confirmed Mocquard’s (1883) conclusion that the decapod foregut is built on a uniform plan and that differences in form among species are the result of the disappearance or fusion of ossicles. Three distinct foregut types can be recognized. The presumed evolutionary sequence of these types is characterized by a gradual reduction in the development and number of ossicles and internal gastric armature that has probably occurred independently several times within the Caridea. It is suggested that the morphology of the foreguts can be a useful taxonomic character that may be more related to the phylogenetic history of the taxon than to diet.
