2012/03/28 by Gábor Kiszler, Gabor Kiszler, Eszter Varhalmi +4 · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Cephalopods and Marine Biology #Marine and environmental studies
paper · doi:10.1002/jmor.20018
openalex publication_date 2012/03/28 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The anatomical organization of the peripheral and central sensory structures of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris was investigated applying a fluorescent carbocyanine dye (DiI) as a neuronal tracer. Using whole-mount preparations and confocal laser scanning microscopy, the pattern of primary sensory cells and pathways of their processes were traced and reconstructed in three-dimensions. Our study shows that a ventral nerve cord ganglion receives sensory fibers from at least two adjacent segments suggesting that the peripheral nervous system is not segmental in its arrangement and the receptive-fields of the body wall overlap in earthworms. Furthermore, our result suggests an integrative function of the basiepidermal plexus consists of sensory and motor fibers.