Eudiplozoon nipponicum in focus: monogenean exhibiting a highly specialized adaptation for ectoparasitic lifestyle
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2011 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Parasitology Research |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-2077-6 |
| Field | Zoology |
| Keywords | monogenea; Diplozoidae; confocal; morphology; development |
| Description | Developmental stages of the diplozoid monogenean Eudiplozoon nipponicum, comprising oncomiracidium, diporpa, juvenile, and adult, were investigated using light and scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with confocal scanning laser microscopy in order to examine body organization and identify explicit morphological adaptations to the ectoparasitic life in each stage. The parasite exhibits a complex digestive tract well equipped for hematophagous feeding. It consists of a mouth opening with prominent buccal suckers, eversible pharynx with adjacent glandular structures, and a blind-ending gut with cecal lining. Glandulo-muscular organs, located apically and opened into the mouth corner, are considered to be a part of the digestive tract. Based on our observations of pharynx eversion and in light of the presence of several glandular or gland-like structures, we propose a new hypothesis on the possibility of extracorporeal digestion of this parasite. |
| Related projects: |