Citation: Ball, B. & Jangoux, M. 1996 The secretory system of the spines of Ophiocomina nigra (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 76: 451-466
Number of Pages: 16
Volume Part: 2
Keywords: Benthos, Connemara, Echinodermata, Fauna, Galway, Marine, Physiology, Sublittoral
Abstract: Paper describes the ultrastructure of the spines of adult Ophiocomina nigra which were collected in Killary Harbour, Connemara, Co. Galway by SCUBA diving at 15 m. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between the nervous system and the secretory and epidermal structures. It is the first ultrastructural study of the spinal nerve of an ophiuroid and the first detailed study of the relationship between the spinal nerve and the associated secretory cells. The possible function of the secretory cells and the system by which secretion is controlled are discussed.