A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 1 of 2): The Lepadidae; Or, Pedunculated CirripedesDarwin, Charles
Science
A Monograph on the Sub-class Cirripedia (Volume 1 of 2): The Lepadidae; Or, Pedunculated Cirripedes
Darwin, Charles
Cirripedia; Lepadidae
The male organs have been well described by M. Martin St. Ange, whose
observations have since been confirmed by R. Wagner.[18] The testes are
small, often leaden-coloured, either pear or finger-shaped, or branched
like club-moss,--these several forms sometimes occurring in the same
individual; they coat the stomach, enter the pedicels, and even the
basal segments of the rami of the cirri, and in some genera occupy
certain swellings on the thorax and prosoma, and in others the
filamentary appendages: the testes seen in the apex in one of these
appendages in Conchoderma, is represented in Pl. IX, fig. 5. The two
vesiculæ seminales are very large; they lie along the abdominal surface
of the thorax, and generally (but not in some species of Scalpellum)
enter the prosoma, where their broad ends are often reflexed; here the
branched vessels leading from the testes enter. The membrane of the
vesiculæ seminales is formed of circular fibres; and is, I presume,
contractile, for I have seen the spermatozoa expelled with force from
the cut end of a living specimen. The two canals leading from the
vesiculæ generally unite in a single duct at the base of the penis; but
in _Conchoderma aurita_, half-way up it. The probosciformed penis,
except in certain species of Scalpellum, is very long; it is capable of
the most varied movements; it is generally hairy, especially at the end;
it is supported on a straight unarticulated basis, which in _Ibla
quadrivalvis_ alone (Pl. IV, fig. 9 _a_), is of considerable length; in
this species, the upper part is seen to be as plainly articulated as one
of the cirri; in Alepas, the articulations are somewhat less plain, and
in the other genera, the organ can be said only to be finely ringed, but
these rings no doubt are in fact obscure articulations. In the females
of _Ibla Cumingii_ and _Scalpellum ornatum_, there is, of course, no
penis.
[18] In ‘Müller’s Archiv,’ 1834, p. 467. I have already several
times referred to M. Martin St. Ange’s excellent Memoir, read
before the Academy of Sciences, and subsequently, in 1835,
published separately.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account