Gutless Bivalves

A new benthic species of the protobranch bivalve genus Solemya, from the northeastern Pacific Ocean, lacks a gut. It has no internal digestive enzymatic apparatus; nor is there any provision for the secretion of enzymes into the mantle cavity for extraorganismic digestion. The most likely nutritiona...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inScience (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 208; no. 4444; pp. 609 - 610
Main Authors Robert G. B. Reid, Bernard, Frank R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States The American Association for the Advancement of Science 09.05.1980
Subjects
Animal glands
Animal organs
Animals
Bacteria
Biological taxonomies
Digestion
Organic foods
Phosphatases
Symbiosis
Worms
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Summary:A new benthic species of the protobranch bivalve genus Solemya, from the northeastern Pacific Ocean, lacks a gut. It has no internal digestive enzymatic apparatus; nor is there any provision for the secretion of enzymes into the mantle cavity for extraorganismic digestion. The most likely nutritional mechanism for such an animal is the active absorption of dissolved organic molecules from the environment by the large ctenidial lamellae. These are well provided with blood, cleansed of sediment by cilia, and have phosphatases in their epithelial cells. Solemya borealis may also be gutless.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.208.4444.609