Flagellar attachment and detachment ofCrithidia fasciculata to the gut wall ofAnopheles gambiae

Summary

Flagellar attachment to the cuticle lined fore and hindgut ofAnopheles gambiae has been studied. At an attachment site, the flagellar membrane follows the contour of the surface to which it is apposed. In the colon where there is little folding of the gut the flagellum is truncate but in regions where the cuticular lining is highly folded the tip of the flagellum is more variable in shape. Numerous filaments lying beneath the adhering membrane make attachment sites easy to recognise. Although haptomonads lying close to the gut possess a short flagellum, those cells which in heavy infections are separated from the gut wall by severalμm develop a much longer organelle in order to reach the cuticular lining.

The induction of flagellar detachment by the addition of distilled water begins with the appearance of membrane invaginations at the adhesion site. Some of these invaginations, which appear to take cuticular material with them, develop into vesicles. It appears that this process progressively reduces the area of adhesion so that when flagellar activity begins, detachment is easily effected.