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The structure of a photoreceptor organelle in the eye of Pterotrachea mutica

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Summary

The photoreceptor cell of Pterotrachea consists of an elongated cell some 100 μm long with recogniseable inner and outer segments. The photoreceptor membranes point towards the light. There are about 300 discs per photoreceptor, a small number of discs arising from a single ciliary base. There are bout 75–100 such bases on each receptor cell. The receptor cells themselves (the inner segments) have four recognisable regions. The vacuolated region, the region of mitochondria, the nuclear region, and the axonal region.

The photoreceptor cells are organised in five roughly parallel rows, and separated from one another by pale supporting cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, University College London, UK

    P. N. Dilly

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  1. P. N. Dilly
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My thanks are due to Professor J. Z. Young, F. R. S. for his enthusiastic support and help during this work. Dr. R. Bellairs kindly provided electron microscope facilities. Mr. R. Moss, Mrs. J. Hamilton and Mr. A. Aldridge provided excellent technical and photographic assistance.

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Dilly, P.N. The structure of a photoreceptor organelle in the eye of Pterotrachea mutica . Z. Zellforsch. 99, 420–429 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337611

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00337611

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