title: Musculature arrangement and locomotion in notocotylid cercariae (Digenea: Notocotylidae) from mud snail Ecrobia ventrosa (Montagu, 1803).
abstract: Cercariae of digenean family Notocotylidae are characterized by a set of morphological traits which make them easily distinguishable from any other. One of the key features is absence of ventral sucker. This affects basic ways of locomotion and attachment. To understand how these functions are fulfilled we studied musculature arrangement in cercariae of two species by means of fluorescent-phalloidin staining and confocal microscopy. We used Cercaria Notocotylidae sp. No. 11 and 12 Deblock, 1980 from mud snails Ecrobia (=Hydrobia) ventrosa. Information on gross morphology (especially body-tail junction) and basic behavioural patterns of these cercariae is also updated. Major special features of musculature are associated with the ventral concavity: extreme development of dorsoventral muscle fibres and formation of annular arrangement of longitudinal muscle fibres on the ventral side. Additional body-wall and internal muscle bundles in the anterior region are also specific for notocotylid cercariae and seem to play important role in twisting movements during substratum testing. Musculature of dorsal adhesive pockets, oral sucker and tail is also described. These results are discussed in relation to observed locomotory patterns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya emb., 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia. Electronic address: midnightcrabb@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Darya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Krupenko
authors.affiliation: Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya emb., 7/9, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia. Electronic address: anya.gonchar@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonchar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058487:Cercaria / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008124:Locomotion; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009132:Muscles / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012908:Snails / Q000469:parasitology*; D012987:Soil / Q000469:parasitology; D014200:Trematoda / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D012987:Soil
keywords: Behaviour; Cercariae; Digenea; Encystment; Musculature; Notocotylidae; Ventral concavity