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Are the funnel-canal organs the ‘campaniform sensilla’ of the shore crab, Carcinus maenas (Decapoda, Crustacea)?

II. Ultrastructure

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Summary

The funnel-canal organs on the dactyls of the shore crab, Carcinus maenas, are innervated by 3–24 sensory cells with unbranched dendrites, which attain a length of 500–1400 μm. The outer dendritic segments are enclosed in a dendritic sheath and pass through the cuticle within a canal. Two dendrite types can be distinguished according to ultrastructural criteria: Type I has a long ciliary segment, A-tubules with an osmiophilic core and arms, and a thick ciliary rootlet. Type II possesses only a short ciliary segment and a thin ciliary rootlet. Each funnel-canal organ contains two type-I dendrites. Their ciliary bases appear a few μm distal to those of the type-II dendrites (1 to 22 in number). Two inner and two to eight outer enveloping cells belong to a sensillum. The innermost enveloping cell contains a large scolopale. In the second enveloping cell single scolopale rods are present. Thus, the funnel-canal organs are characterized by structural features typical for mechano-sensitive scolopidia, on the one hand, and for chemoreceptors, on the other. Therefore, the funnel-canal organs are very likely bimodal sensilla (contact chemoreceptors). A comparison with other arthropod sensilla shows that cuticular mechanoreceptors of aquatic crustaceans generally exhibit a ‘scolopidial’ organization.

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  1. Zoologisches Institut der J.W. Goethe-Universität, AK Sinnesphysiologie, Frankfurt/Main, Bundesrepublik Deutschland

    Manfred Schmidt &  Werner Gnatzy

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  1. Manfred Schmidt
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  2. Werner Gnatzy
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Schmidt, M., Gnatzy, W. Are the funnel-canal organs the ‘campaniform sensilla’ of the shore crab, Carcinus maenas (Decapoda, Crustacea)?. Cell Tissue Res. 237, 81–93 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229202

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