Ultrastructure of the ciliated cups of a synaptid holothuroid, Leptosynapta galliennei (Echinodermata)
VandenSpiegel, D.; Geronnez-Lecomte, A.; Jangoux, M. (1998). Ultrastructure of the ciliated cups of a synaptid holothuroid, Leptosynapta galliennei (Echinodermata). Invertebr. Biol. 117(3): 253-260. https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3226990 In: Invertebrate biology. Blackwell Publishing: Lawrence, Kan.. ISSN 1077-8306; e-ISSN 1744-7410, more |  |
| Authors | | Top | - VandenSpiegel, D., more
- Geronnez-Lecomte, A.
- Jangoux, M., more
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| Abstract | The medial epidermal surface of the buccal tentacles of the synaptid holothuroid, Leptosynapta galliennei, bears 5-30 ciliated cups. Each cup consists of an epidermal elevation with a central invagination forming a small pit. Whereas the epidermis of the outer lining of the cups is similar to that on the adjacent tentacle, the epidermis lining each pit consists of ciliated cells gathered together in a central bulb and surrounded by elongated support cells. The basal parts of ciliated cells are tapered and, together, form a nerve bundle entering the intradermal nerve plexus of the tentacle. We suggest that the ciliated cells and thus the entire ciliated cup has chemo-sensory function. It is further suggested that the cups allow the holo- thuroid to test the properties of the surrounding water and could also provide information on the palatibility of collected food material. |
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