Lecture 11 Pt. 2

Question 1

Anatomy

Answer 1

• Adhesive disc attached to host setae
• Cuticle covers trunk and disc
• U-shaped ciliated and complete gut (young do not feed)
• Acoelomate with mesenchyme
• Ciliated mouth makes water currents that bring food towards the mouth
• Nervous system very reduced; protonephridia only exist in larvae

Question 2

Reproduction

Answer 2

• Feeding stage adults reproduce via budding
  
  • Produces free swimming pandora larvae, prometheus larva and females
    
    • Pandora larva land on nearby host, becoming feeding-stage adult
    • Prometheus larva settle on trunk of adult building 3 ‘draw males’ within its larval body; females similarly settle and internal embryo is fertilised by dwarf males
• fertilised female larva encysts, forming choroid larva
  
  • Choroid larva hatches, swims from cyst, attaches to host, matures