OT: Giardia vs. Girardia
Harrumph, I wasn't misspelling what I was talking about, giardia lamblia, but I DO SEE your point, as you were no doubt referencing Leal-Zanchet's important work on the penis glands of the noted dugesiid planarian, GIRARDIA SCHUBARTI which I was just reading in the original Portuguese the other evening (and an English abstract of which I provide below).*** I spoke to Ana Maria by telephone just last night and after the preliminary pleasantries ("Boa noite, tudo bem? A familia tambem?") we discussed certain assumptions she had made about various planaria, and she agreed to revise the text before presentation in Prague next summer. She was extremely grateful, as one might imagine.
***Penis glands of the dugesiid planarian Girardia schubarti (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Paludicola)
Ana Maria Leal-Zanchet and Josef Hauser
Instituto de Pesquisas de Planàrias, Centro de Ciéncias da Sade, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Av. Unisinos, Cx. p. 275, 93022-000 São Leopoldo-RS, Brazil
Abstract. In the penis glands of the dugesiid planarian Girardia schubarti, 6 secretory cell types were distinguished based on their histology and distribution. One cell type (type I) opens into the most distal part of the bulbar cavity, 3 cell types (types IIa, IIb, and IIc) open into the ejaculatory duct, and 2 cell types (types IIIa and IIIb) open directly into the male atrium through the epithelium of the penis papilla. Secretory cells of types IIb, IIc, and IIIa were identified as mucocytes. Types I, IIa, and IIIb produce a proteinaceous secretion. Fixation with neutral formaldehyde best preserves the integrity of the secretory granules of the penis glands. The distribution, number, and histochemical affinities of the cell types of the penial glands may constitute differential taxonomic characters. The role of the penis glands in maintaining sperm viability and in sperm transfer is compared with their function in other dugesiid species. |
