Ref ID : 5863
Stuart R. Gelder; Diet and histophysiology of the alimentary canal of Lumbricillus lineatus (Oligochaeta, Enchytraeidae). Hydrobiologia 115:71-81, 1984
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Lumbricillus lineatus selectively ingests masses of organic and inorganic interstitial particles from a sand-clay substratum in the upper littoral zone. Particle-masses are ingested, passed along the esophagus and into the anterior intestine where the pH becomes acid. A- and C-esterases, acid beta-galactosidase, acid phosphatase and beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase are present in the epithelium, while the rotating food masses are surrounded by a membrane of sulphated, acid glycoprotein. These enzymes, with the exception of acid phosphatase and the addition of aminopeptidase M, are also present in the epithelia of the mid and posterior intestinal regions where the pH is alkaline. The cells in the ventral wall of the mid intestinal region contain high concentrations of alkaline phosphatase, acid beta-galactosidase and beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase. The food consists of absorbed organics and bacteria with absorption and intracellular digestion occurring along the intestine, particularly in the mid ventral region.