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Further structures in the jaw apparatus of limnognathia maerski (micrognathozoa), with notes on the phylogeny of the gnathifera
Author(s) -
Sørensen Martin Vinther
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of morphology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1097-4687
pISSN - 0362-2525
DOI - 10.1002/jmor.10038
Subject(s) - biology , anatomy , dorsum
The jaws of Limnognathia maerski , Micrognathozoa, were investigated with light‐ and scanning electron microscopy. The study yielded several new structures and sclerites, including the ventral part of main jaw, the pharyngeal lamellae, the manus, the dorsal and ventral fibularium teeth, and a reinterpretation of the fibularium compartmentalization. Furthermore, it was shown that several jaw elements are composed of densely packed rods. Comparison with Rotifera and Gnathostomulida suggested that the micrognathozoan main jaw is homologous with the rotifer incus and the gnathostomulid articularium and that the pseudophalangids (the ventral jaws) and their associated sclerites correspond to the rotifer mallei. These results imply that Micrognathozoa is more closely related to Rotifera than to Gnathostomulida. J. Morphol. 255:131–145, 2003. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.