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Published on: November 18, 2010
An excretory organ in the Mystacocarida (Crustacea)
Robert R Hessler1, Rolf Elofsson
1Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA 92093-0202, USA. rhessler@ucsd.edu
Abstract:
An excretory antennal gland, composed of only eight cells, is found entirely in the limb in the mystacocarid Derocheilocaris typica. The end sac is composed of podocytes, valve cells and cap cells. The podocytes contain enormous residual vesicles. There are few pedicel complexes, and they arise directly from the cell surface without intermediate foot processes. The excretory duct is entirely lined with microvilli, which are separated from the lumen by a modified layer of thin cuticle.
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