The works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 2 (of 4) : $b A treatise on comparative embryology: InvertebrataBalfour, Francis M. (Francis Maitland)
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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 larvæ, which become the minute parasitic males, undergo a very
different and far less complete metamorphosis than those which become
females. They attach themselves to the proboscis of an adult female,
and lose their ciliated bands. Germinal cells make their appearance in
the mesoblast, which form spherical masses, and, like the germinal
balls in the female ovary, consist of a central cell, and an
epithelium around it. The central cell becomes very large, while the
peripheral cells give rise to the spermatozoa. A body cavity becomes
developed in the larvæ, into which the spermatic balls are dehisced.
Neither mouth nor anus is formed. The further changes have not been
followed out.
The larval males make their way into the oesophagus of the female,
where they no doubt live for some time, and probably become mature,
though the seminal pouch of the adult is not found in many of the
males living in the oesophagus. When mature the males leave the
oesophagus, and pass into the uterus.
Phascolosoma. Cilia appear in Phascolosoma (Selenka, No. 369) while
the ovum is still segmenting. After segmentation they form a definite
band immediately _behind_ the mouth, which divides the larva into two
hemispheres--a præ-oral and a post-oral. A præ-oral band of cilia is
soon formed close to the post-oral band, and at the apex of the
præ-oral lobe a tuft of cilia also appears.
The larva has now the characters of a trochosphere, but differs from
the typical trochosphere in the post-oral part of the ciliated
equatorial ring being more important than the præ-oral, and in the
absence of an anus.
The metamorphosis commences very early. The trunk rapidly elongates,
and the præ-oral lobe becomes relatively less and less conspicuous.
The zona radiata becomes the larval cuticle.
Three pairs of bristles are formed on the trunk, of which the
posterior pair appears first, then the anterior, and finally the
middle pair: an order of succession which clearly proves they can have
no connection with a true segmentation.
The tentacles become developed _between_ the two parts of the ciliated
ring, and finally the præ-oral lobe, unlike what takes place in the
Gephyrea armata, nearly completely vanishes.
The anus appears fairly late on the dorsal surface, and the ventral
nerve cord is established as an unganglionated thickening of the
ventral epiblast.
GEPHYREA TUBICOLA.
The larva of Phoronis was known as Actinotrocha long before its
connection with Phoronis was established by Kowalevsky (No. 372).
There is a complete segmentation leading to the formation of a
blastosphere, which is followed by an invagination, the opening of
which is said by Kowalevsky to remain as the mouth[151]. It is at
first terminal, but on the development of a large præ-oral lobe it
assumes a ventral position. The anus is formed at a later period at
the posterior end of the body.
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