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The ultrastructure of the eyes in the veliger-larvae of Aporrhais sp. and Bittium reticulatum (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda)

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Summary

The cerebrally innervated larval eyes of Aporrhais sp. and Bittium reticulatum are investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy. Each organ consists of a pigmented cup containing an acellular lens. The cornea overlaps the anterior portion of the eye. The retina is composed of sensory cells and supportive cells. The sensory cells of Aporrhais sp. bear one cilium and in Bittium reticulatum two cilia, the ciliary membrane being folded into numerous finger-shaped evaginations. The supportive cells contain the pigment granules and most of them bear one or two cilia, the plasmalemma of which is likewise folded. It is supposed that: (a) these cilia have a transportive function for lens material and (b) that the ciliary photoreceptor of Aporrhais sp. and Bittium reticulatum is a functional adaptation to a relatively long larval period.

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Abbreviations

bb :

basal body

bp :

basal plate

c :

cilium

cc :

corneal cell

cm :

ciliary membranes

cw :

ciliary whorl

gd :

Golgi dictyosomes

gm :

granular material

l :

lens

m :

mitochondrion

mt :

microtubules

mv :

microvilli

mvb :

multivesicular body

n :

nucleus

pb :

pigment border

pg :

pigment granule

rer :

rough endoplasmic reticulum

sc :

sensory cell

sj :

septate junctions

spc :

supportive cell

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  1. Institut für Zoologie, Abteilung für spezielle Zoologie und Entwicklungsgeschichte, Universität Wien, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Wien, Austria

    Michael Blumer

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Blumer, M. The ultrastructure of the eyes in the veliger-larvae of Aporrhais sp. and Bittium reticulatum (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda). Zoomorphology 114, 149–159 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00403262

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