title: Suckers and other bursal structures of Pomphorhynchus bulbocolli and Acanthocephalus dirus (Acanthocephala).
abstract: Accessory copulatory structures in the bursa of Pomphorhynchus bulbocolli include 2 suckers on the inner surface and bursal rays. A stylet was present in the penis of this species. Two suckers were present in the bursa of Acanthocephalus dirus, but bursal rays and a stylet in the penis were not observed. This is the first report of suckers present in the bursas of acanthocephalans. Copulatory cement caps and holes surrounded by a ring approximating the inner bursal diameter and not covered by a cap were present on the sides of some P. bulbocolli, indicating the possibility of hypodermic insemination in this species.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green 42101.
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.forename: L N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Gleason
mesh_terms: D000049:Acanthocephala / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male