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Organ-like gonads, complex oocyte formation, and long-term spawning in Periphylla periphylla (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa, Coronatae)

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Abstract

An account is given about the development of the gametes of the holopelagic coronate scyphomedusa Periphylla periphylla (Péron and Lesueur 1809). The gonads of the species are complex and differ from those thus far described in Scyphozoa in having this characteristic composition of trophocytes, follicle cells, gamete-releasing pores, mucus cells, and resorption cells. Our results differ from those of previous coronate studies with respect to the contact of the oocytes with the gonad tissue throughout the duration of development. Among the Medusozoa, follicle cells have thus far been considered as an apomorphy for the Staurozoa, but their presence in the Scyphozoa casts some doubts on this assumption. From morphological structure and examination of the gonads and gametes, it can be deduced that P. periphylla has true organs and that gamete release is continuous. These results supplement our knowledge of the reproductive biology of this mesopelagic species.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the crews of R/V Håkon Mosby and R/V Hans Brattström for superior working facilities. Support from the TMR (Training and Mobility of Researchers) Programme from the European Union, through Contract No. ERBFMGECT950013, is acknowledged. We are grateful to Dietmar Keyser and Renate Walter for technical assistance with electron microscopy. We are thankful to Ilka Sötje for discussions and assistance in preparing the figures and the manuscript. For discussions and improvement of the language we are thankful to Paul F.S. Cornelius and Blair D. Johnston.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biozentrum Grindel und Zoologisches Museum, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3, 22146, Hamburg, Germany

    Henry Tiemann & Gerhard Jarms

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  1. Henry Tiemann
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  2. Gerhard Jarms
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Correspondence to Henry Tiemann.

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Communicated by M. Byrne.

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Tiemann, H., Jarms, G. Organ-like gonads, complex oocyte formation, and long-term spawning in Periphylla periphylla (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa, Coronatae). Mar Biol 157, 527–535 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-009-1338-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-009-1338-3

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