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Symbiotic Bacteria on the Epidermis of Species of the Nemertodermatida (Platyhelminthes, Acoelomorpha)
Author(s) -
Lundin Kennet
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
acta zoologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.414
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1463-6395
pISSN - 0001-7272
DOI - 10.1111/j.1463-6395.1998.tb01157.x
Subject(s) - biology , bacteria , appendage , epidermis (zoology) , microbiology and biotechnology , symbiosis , botany , symbiotic bacteria , zoology , anatomy , genetics
Abstract Meara stichopi and an undescribed species of Meara , both endosymbiotic in the intestine of aspidochirote holothurians, possess filiform extraepidermal bacteria among the epidermal cilia. Similar bacteria were also observed on one specimen of the free‐living species Nemertoderma westbladi . The bacteria are of the gram‐negative type, as evident by cell wall structure and results from gramstaining. On a few specimens of M. stichopi , the bacteria were found to carry peculiar distal appendages, or buds, on stalked cup‐shaped cell extensions. As the bacteria described here appear to be species specific, they can be used in addition to other features in the often problematic characterization of the nemertodermatid species.