Fig. 6. Variation of epigenetic markers. (A) Right–left differences of marmoration pattern on cephalothorax of mature female. (B) Variation of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of corrugated setae (CS) and aesthetascs (Ae) in 168 stage-2 to stage-6 juveniles (stages indicated by numbers on bars) from dams A, B, B₁ and B₃. FA is expressed as % deviation from perfect symmetry (Sym), either to the right (+) or to the left (–). Red horizontal bars indicate mean FAs of batches. N, number of individuals investigated per batch. Note independence of fluctuation of both traits during ontogeny and variation among batches. (C) Alteration of carapace length (CL), number of aesthetascs and number of corrugated setae in a single crayfish through nine life stages. Development of the three traits is not strictly correlated and FA of the sense organs can fluctuate between body sides. A1-r and A1-l, right and left 1st antennae; P1-r to P3-l, right and left pereiopods 1, 2 and 3. (D) Variation of body mass and global DNA methylation of the hepatopancreas and abdominal musculature in three communally reared adult batch-mates (B₂, B₇, B₈) at the age of 626 days (left) and four adolescents (E₁–E₄) at the age of 188 days (right). Each DNA sample was measured at least 20 times. Bars indicate +s.d. Variation of mass and global DNA methylation is apparently not correlated.