“Brittleworms”: Ultrastructure and arrangement of the calcified chaetae of Euphrosine (Amphinomida, Annelida)

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningfagfællebedømt

Dokumenter

  • Fulltext

    Forlagets udgivne version, 92,2 MB, PDF-dokument

  • Julian Müller
  • Anja Schumacher
  • Elizabeth Borda
  • Greg W. Rouse
  • Thomas Bartolomaeus
  • Ekin Tilic

The annelid clade Amphinomidae, commonly known as “fireworms,” is notorious for causing skin inflammations after physical contact. These injuries are caused by the chaetae of the animals, which are calcified and particularly brittle. The incorporation of calcium carbonate particles and their disintegration cause the chitinous lamellae within a chaeta to break apart and result in a prominent inner cavity. Although the chaetae of Amphinomidae are well studied, data concerning their sister group, Euphrosinidae, are scarce. In this study, we examined the chaetae of two species of Euphrosine for the first time regarding the variety of chaetal types, their ultrastructure, elemental composition, and arrangement. This allows us to get a better understanding of chaetal characteristics in the ground pattern of Amphinomida. We were able to determine bifurcate chaetae as the primary chaetal type in Amphinomida and provide evidence that their aciculae must have evolved secondarily. Calcification is a common feature among amphinomidan chaetae and regarded as autapomorphy of Amphinomida. Finally, a single dorsal formative site in each notopodium and neuropodium, found in Euphrosine foliosa, likely represents the ancestral state in Amphinomida. There is no evidence for venom production or secretory cells associated with the chaetae of Euphrosine, which is in accordance with what was previously observed in Amphinomidae. Our study also complements further studies into chaetal characteristics such as the number and arrangement of formative sites.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummere12353
TidsskriftInvertebrate Biology
Vol/bind140
Udgave nummer4
Antal sider13
ISSN1077-8306
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2021

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
We are grateful to the Station Marine de Concarneau for supporting our collection of specimens in Concarneau by providing lab space and material. Furthermore, we would like to thank Dr. Gregor Kirfel for his assistance while handling the scanning electron microscope provided by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (INST 217/784‐1 FUGG). Thanks to the staff at UC San Diego NanoEngineering for help with the EDS and to Gustav Paulay for access to the specimen of (UF478; Florida Museum of Natural History). Funding for the μCT scanner was provided by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (INST 217/849‐1 FUGG). We are also grateful to Tatjana Bartz for her help in laboratory work. Chloeia

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Invertebrate Biology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Microscopical Society.

ID: 286413683