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Ovulation in an echinoderm (Comanthus japonica)

  • Anatomica, Histologica, Embryologica, Carcinologica
  • Published:
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Summary

An invertebrate type of ovulation is described for the first time for an echinoderm. In this echinoderm, which is a crinoid, ovulation is the passage of maturing oocytes through temporary openings in the epithelium lining the ovary. After ovulation, which takes about 1 h, the oocytes lie free in the ovarian lumen; there they quickly finish maturing into ova which are spawned into the sea water.

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Literatur

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Box 1529, 92037, La Jolla, California, USA

    N. D. Holland & K. Dan

  2. Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1-1-Yakumo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, (Japan)

    N. D. Holland & K. Dan

Authors
  1. N. D. Holland
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  2. K. Dan
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Additional information

The present study was carried out at the Misaki Marine Biological Station of the University of Tokyo, Misaki, Kanagawa-ken, Japan, with the cooperation of DirectorHideshi Kobayashi and his staff. We are indebted to Dr.B. W. Rasmussen for his help with our scanning electron microscopy and to Dr.David Epel and Dr.Meredite Gould-Somero for their critical reading of the manuscript.

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Holland, N.D., Dan, K. Ovulation in an echinoderm (Comanthus japonica). Experientia 31, 1078–1080 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02326971

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02326971

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