Observations on the ultrastructure of the copulatory organ of Archilopsis unipunctata (Fabricius, 1826) (Proseriata, Monocelididae)
Martens, E.E.; Schockaert, E.R. (1981). Observations on the ultrastructure of the copulatory organ of Archilopsis unipunctata (Fabricius, 1826) (Proseriata, Monocelididae). Hydrobiologia 84: 277-285. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00026191 In: Hydrobiologia. Springer: The Hague. ISSN 0018-8158; e-ISSN 1573-5117, more |  |
| Keywords | Anatomical structures > Body organs > Animal organs > Animal reproductive organs
Ultrastructure
Archilopsis unipunctata (Fabricius, 1826) [WoRMS]; Proseriata [WoRMS]; Turbellaria [WoRMS]
Brackish water |
| Abstract | The copulatory organ in adult specimens of Archilopsis unipunctata has been studied by transmission electron microscopy. This copulatory organ is of the conjuncta-duplex type with eversible cirrus. The seminal vesicle, lined with a nucleate epithelium, is surrounded by spirally arranged muscles. The fibers are enclosed in a sheath that is continuous with the septum of the bulbus and the basement lamina of the male canal epithelium. Distally to the seminal vesicle the bulbus is filled with the secretory cell-necks of the prostate glands. The male canal shows three different parts: seminal duct, ejaculatory duct and eversible cirrus. At the transition of seminal duct and ejaculatory duct two prostate ducts open into the lumen. The structure of the epithelium lining the different parts of the canal is described. The transition into the cirrus may be recognized by an abrupt change in the thickness, the electron density and the stratification in the basement lamina and by the disappearance of the epithelium absent indeed in the cirrus. The material found inside the cirrus-lumen is different according to the zone considered. The origin of this material and of the cirrus teeth is discussed. |
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