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A study of the microtriches and sensory processes of the tetrathyridium of Mesocestoides corti Hoeppli, 1925, by transmission and scanning electron microscopy

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Summary

Two types of microtriches occur on the tegument of the tetrathyridium of Mesocestoides corti as shown by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. One is filamentous and the other large and blade-like. The large form has a complex structure with a posteriorly directed support, so that its transverse section is T-shaped. The distribution of the two types on the body surface of the larva is not homogeneous. On the anterior part of the larva, including the suckers (Zone A), both are present. In the region behind the suckers (Zone B), only blade-like microtriches occur and on the posterior extremity (Zone C) only filamentous forms are seen. Between the Zones B and C there is an intermediate region with both types present. The authors suppose that the blade-like microtriches play an important role in tissue penetration, while the filamentous forms are involved in food uptake. Two types of sensory processes are identifiable. One is club-shaped, the other is a very long filamentous process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Zoologie, Université de Neuchâtel, 11, rue Emile Argand, CH-2000, Neuchâtel 7, Switzerland

    Ernst Hess

  2. SEM-Laboratory, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 32, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Richard Guggenheim

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  1. Ernst Hess
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  2. Richard Guggenheim
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Hess, E., Guggenheim, R. A study of the microtriches and sensory processes of the tetrathyridium of Mesocestoides corti Hoeppli, 1925, by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Z. Parasitenk. 53, 189–199 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00380464

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00380464

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