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Anatomy and ultrastructure of ventral pharyngeal organs and their phylogenetic importance in Polychaeta (Annelida)

I. The pharynx of the Dinophilidae

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Summary

A comparative anatomical and ultrastructural study of ventral pharyngeal organs (pharyngeal bulbs) was carried out in two species of the Dinophilidae: Dinophilus gyrociliatus and Trilobodrilus axi. Special attention was paid to the fine structure of the stomodeal epithelium, cuticle, glands, muscles, and myoepithelial junctions. The differences between the species are very slight. The pharyngeal organ of the Dinophilidae is characterized by the following features: solid muscle bulbus made up of muscle cells only, bulbus muscle cells with two myofilament systems crossing at an angle of about 90°, gap junctions between these muscle cells, bulbus projects into a pharyngeal sac and bears rostrally a specific epithelium and cuticle, no bulbus glands, no investing (= sagittal) muscles, specific cuticle ultrastructure, cilia of ascending oesophagus with asymmetric tips, specific structure and position of salivary gland openings. The phylogenetic importance of these structures is discussed. Some of these characters are clearly autapomorphic features of the Dinophilidae and no common derived structures to other families with a ventral pharyngeal organ are present. Therefore, it is most likely that the dinophilid pharyngeal organ evolved independently. These findings do not agree with the hypothesis of the unity of the archiannelid families (Polygordiidae, Protodrilidae, Saccocirridae, Nerillidae, Dinophilidae, and Diurodrilidae) established on the basis of an assumed structural similarity of their ventral pharyngeal organs.

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Abbreviations

bb :

basal body

bep :

bulbus epithelium

bl :

basal lamina

bm :

bulbus muscle

c :

cilium

cc :

coelenchyme cell

cm :

circular muscle

cr :

caudal rootlet

cu :

cuticle

dblm :

dorsal bulbus longitudinal muscle

dlm :

dorsal longitudinal muscle

dsn :

dorsal stomatogastric nerve

dy :

dyad

el :

electron-dense layer

fl :

fibrous layer

fi :

filaments

g :

Golgi apparatus

gl :

gland cell

hv :

homogeneous vesicle

l :

lipid droplet

la :

external lamina

lal :

lamellar layer

ll :

lower lip

lm :

longitudinal muscle

ly :

lysosome

m :

mitochondrion

mo :

mouth opening

mt :

microtubule

mv :

microvillus

mvp :

microvillar process

n :

nucleus

nu :

nucleolus

oes :

oesophagus

pcom :

preoral commissure

phf :

pharyngeal fold

phl :

pharyngeal lumen

phs :

pharyngeal sac

pms :

peripheral myofilament system

r :

rootletlike structure

rer :

rough endoplasmic reticulum

rr :

rostral rootlet

s :

sarcoplasmic reticulum

sc :

salivary canal

scom :

suboesophageal commissure

sd :

septate desmosome

ser :

smooth endoplasmic reticulum

sg :

secretory granule

sgl :

salivary gland

sn :

stomatogastric nerve

st :

stomach

step :

stomodeal epithelium

tep :

transitional epithelium

tf :

tonofilaments

va :

vacuole

vlm :

ventral longitudinal muscle

vsn :

ventral stomatogastric nerve

z :

z-element

za :

zonula adherens

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  1. Fachbereich Biologie/Chemie, Spezielle Zoologie, Universität Osnabrück, Barbarastr. 11, D-4500, Osnabrück, Federal Republic of Germany

    G. Purschke

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Purschke, G. Anatomy and ultrastructure of ventral pharyngeal organs and their phylogenetic importance in Polychaeta (Annelida). Zoomorphology 105, 223–239 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00311966

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00311966

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