The works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 2 (of 4) : $b A treatise on comparative embryology: InvertebrataBalfour, Francis M. (Francis Maitland)
Science
The works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 2 (of 4) : $b A treatise on comparative embryology: Invertebrata
Balfour, Francis M. (Francis Maitland)
Embryology; Zoology
The alimentary tract in the meantime has undergone considerable
changes. The primitive lateral lobes dilate enormously and become
ciliated. At a still later stage their walls undergo peculiar changes,
the nature of which is somewhat obscure, but they appear to me to be
of the same character as those in many Pteropods and Gasteropods,
where the cells of the hepatic diverticula, to which the lobes of
Pisidium apparently correspond, become filled with an albuminous
material.
The later stages in Pisidium have not been followed.
It is remarkable that in Pisidium a veliger stage does not occur. This
is probably due to the development taking place within the
brood-pouch. The late development of the otocysts is also remarkable.
A byssus-gland was not formed up to the stage observed. In Cyclas
calyculata (Schmidt), a byssus-gland also appears to be absent.
Cyclas. The development of Cyclas as described by Von Jhering is very
unlike that of Pisidium, and the differences would seem to be too
great to be accounted for except by errors of observation.
The segmentation of Cyclas is similar to that of Anodon (_vide_ p.
82), and a mass of large cells enclosed by the smaller cells gives
rise to the hypoblast. In the interior of this mass there appears a
lumen, and a process from it grows towards and meets the epiblast, and
gives rise to the oesophagus and mouth,--a mode of development of
these parts without parallel amongst Mollusca. A very rudimentary
velum would appear, according to Leydig (No. 290), to be developed at
the cephalic extremity. A shell-gland is formed of the same character
as in Gasteropods. According to Leydig the shell appears as a single
saddle-like structure on the dorsal surface; the lateral parts of this
become calcified, and give rise to the two valves, but are united in
the middle by the membranous median portion. At the two sides of the
body the mantle lobes are formed, as in Pisidium.
Very shortly after the formation of the shell the byssus-gland appears
as a pair of small follicles in the hinder part of the foot. It
rapidly grows larger and becomes a paired pyriform gland, in which are
secreted the byssus threads which serve to attach all the embryos at a
common point to the walls of the brood-pouch.
The foot is large, and ciliated anteriorly. Otolithic sacks and peda
ganglia are developed in it very early.
Unio. The ovum of Anodonta and Unio is enveloped in a vitelline
membrane, the surface of which is raised into a projecting
trumpet-like tube perforated at its extremity (fig. 12). This
structure is the micropyle. The micropyle disappears in Anodonta
piscinalis when the egg is ripe, but in Unio persists during the whole
development. The ova are transported, in a manner not certainly made
out, into the space between the two limbs of the outer gills of the
mother, and there undergo their early development. The animal or upper
pole of the egg is placed at the pole opposite to the micropyle.
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