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Ciliary ultrastructure of protobranchs (Mollusca, Bivalvia)
Author(s) -
Lundin Kennet,
Schander Christoffer
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
invertebrate biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.486
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1744-7410
pISSN - 1077-8306
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7410.2001.tb00042.x
Subject(s) - biology , cilium , anatomy , gill , basal body , ultrastructure , bivalvia , mollusca , basal (medicine) , zoology , paleontology , microbiology and biotechnology , fish <actinopterygii> , fishery , flagellum , endocrinology , bacteria , insulin
. The external epithelial cilia and other surface structures of the nuculoid protobranchs Nuculana pernula and Nucula nitidosa were studied. The gill lamellae and labial palps are partly covered with very long cilia. These have a modified slender distal portion, an ordinary metazoan‐type basal body, a basal foot. and a single, long cross‐striated rootlet. In cilia on the gills of N. nitidosa , the basal foot is thick and attaches to the next basal body directly behind. Unciliated surface areas on the gills, labial palps, and foot are covered with a dense brushborder of microvilli. We observed no specific homologies between the cilia of the protobranchs studied and the epidermal cilia of the enigmatic Xenoturbella bocki , hence the recent hypothesis of a close connection of the latter to the protobranch bivalves is questioned.