The vascular lamella of the sensory niche has already been alluded to as
part of the marginal system, and brief reference has been made to it in
the section on the sensory clubs. Like the rest of the marginal lamella,
it connects endoderm with ectoderm. The line that its fusion with the
ectoderm traces on the surface frames in a shield-shaped area at the
bottom of the sensory niche, which is seen in the drawing of the outlines
of the niche, Fig. 44 (_vls_). This lamella was observed by Claus, and
was figured by him both in surface view and in cross-section through the
niche. Apparently, however, he omitted vertical sections through the
niche, so that he supposed that the outline traced by the lamella was
not continuous above, _i. e._ over the stalk of the sensory club (’78,
Fig. 41; text, p. 28). That the outline is closed above, though masked
in surface view by the roof of the sensory niche, is seen at once in
vertical sections, such as Figs. 37 and 38, one of which is directly
through the perradius, the other a little to one side. Both show the
vascular lamella of the sensory niche (_vls_) intersected twice, above
and below the sensory club, and completely cutting off the exumbrella
from any share in the bottom (or inner wall) of the sensory niche. Fig.
39, which is a cross-section through the upper part of the niche, and is
essentially like the similar figure of Claus, shows in like manner that
the bottom of the sensory niche belongs to the subumbrella. H. V. Wilson
was the first to point out, in his unpublished notes, that the lamella of
the niche is complete all round.
In the adult structure of Charybdea and Tripedalia the lamella of
the niche is connected with that of the margin by a vertical strip
of endodermal fusion that does not come to the surface like the rest
of the marginal system, but remains just internal to the gelatine of
the exumbrella, connecting the two adjacent marginal pockets. In the
cross-sections of Charybdea it is seen in Fig. 16 (_vlc_); in those of
Tripedalia it is seen in Figs. 28 and 29. In vertical section it is found
in Figs. 4, 19 and 37. In Fig. 44, which represents the bell margin
and velarium of Tripedalia arranged as if the velarium were vertical
and pendant from the margin (instead of suspended by the frenulum so as
to be at right angles to the vertical plane), the connecting lamella is
shown as a dotted line (_vlc_)--dotted because it does not come to the
surface--joining the lamella of the niche with that of the margin (_vlm_).
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account