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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Ref ID : 5894

Giulio Lanzavecchia, Magda de Eguileor, Roberto Valvassori, Laura Di Lernia, and Cristina Cambiaso; Morphogenesis of body wall muscle fibers in Enchytraeus minutus. Hydrobiologia 180:91-97, 1989

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The helical muscle fibers of Enchytraeus minutus (Annelida, Enchytraeidae) have been investigated with respect to their development. We have shown that longitudinal fibers, in the cocoon, begin to develop as platymyarian fibers, then develop into shallow coelomyarian ones and finally, just before hatching, reach a flat circomyarian stage. After hatching, the fibers grow only in size due to an increase in contractile material in the helical sarcomere system. Indications are given as to the ways this process can take place.