Müller's larva

Drawing of a Müller's larva

Müller's larva or Mulleria is a larva of some Polycladida.[1] It has eightfold symmetry and resembles a trochophore; homology between the two types of larvae from related groups of the Spiralia is possible but is not well studied.[2] Müller’s larva is ciliated and has several paired and unpaired lobes. The cilia on the lobes are longer than cilia on the rest of the body. At the anterior and posterior ends of the larva are tufts of longer cilia (apical and caudal). The apical tuft originates from the apical organ, a sensory structure associated with the central nervous system.[2]

It is named after Johannes Peter Müller (1801–1858), a German physiologist who invented the plankton net, and first described larval forms of many phyla.[3]

References

  1. ^ Lanfranchi, Alberto; Bedini, Celina; Ferrero, Enrico (1981), "The ultrastructure of the eyes in larval and adult polyclads (Turbellaria)", The Biology of the Turbellaria, Springer Netherlands, pp. 267–275, doi:10.1007/978-94-009-8668-8_35, ISBN 9789400986701
  2. ^ a b Rawlinson, Kate A (2010). "Embryonic and post-embryonic development of the polyclad flatworm Maritigrella crozieri; implications for the evolution of spiralian life history traits". Frontiers in Zoology. 7 (1): 12. doi:10.1186/1742-9994-7-12. PMC 2876153. PMID 20426837.
  3. ^ Smith, N. F.; Johnson, K. B.; Young, C. M. (2002). "Phylum Platyhelminthes". In Young, C. M. (ed.). Atlas of Marine Invertebrate Larvae. London: Academic Press. pp. 123–152.
Stub icon

This flatworm- (or platyhelminth-) related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.