Comparison of the statolith structures of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chironex fleckeri</Emphasis> (Cnidaria,Cubozoa) and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Periphylla periphylla</Emphasis> (Cnidaria,Scyphozoa): a phylogenetic approach |
| |
Authors: | I Sötje F Neues M Epple W Ludwig A Rack M Gordon R Boese H Tiemann |
| |
Institution: | 1.Biocenter Grindel and Zoological Museum,University of Hamburg,Hamburg,Germany;2.Inorganic Chemistry,University of Duisburg-Essen,Essen,Germany;3.European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP220,Grenoble Cedex,France;4.Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon,Villeurbanne Cedex,France;5.School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University,Smithfield,Australia |
| |
Abstract: | The rhopalia and statocysts of Periphylla periphylla (Péron and Lesueur in Ann Mus Hist Nat Marseille 14:316–366,1809) and Chironex fleckeri Southcott (Aust J Mar Freshw Res 7(2):254–280 1956) were examined histologically and showed several homologous characteristics. Differences in sensory area distribution could
be connected to a slightly different functionality of equilibrium sensing. In P. periphylla, the statoliths (crystals) grow independently of each other; whereas in C. fleckeri, one large crystal covers the smaller ones. The structures of both statoliths were examined in detail with single-crystal
diffraction, microtomography and diffraction contrast tomography. The single compact statolith of C. fleckeri consisted of bassanite as was previously known only for other rhopaliophoran medusae. An origin area with several small oligocrystals
was located in the centre of the cubozoan statolith. The origin areas and the accretion of statoliths are similar in both
species. Our results lead to the assumption that the single bassanite statolith of C. fleckeri (Cnidaria, Cubozoa) is a progression of the scyphozoan multiplex statolith. It is therefore suggested that the Cubozoa are
derived from a scyphozoan ancestor and are a highly developed taxa within the Rhopaliophora. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|