Pseudunela cornuta

A complex interactive 3D reconstruction (a 3D visualization based on 420 paraffin histological sections) of the body of an individual of this species has been available since 2009.

[4] Pseudunela cornuta shows an anterior head-foot complex and a posterior elongated visceral hump in which the animal can partly retract when disturbed.

The paired labial tentacles are broad at the base, tapering to the end and usually held at 45°-90° to the longitudinal axis of the specimen.

The densely ciliated foot is as broad as the anterior head-foot complex and extends about one third of the visceral hump in the crawling animal.

In the anterior part of the visceral hump, the heart bulb is visible externally on the right side of the body.

A few elongate, subepidermal spicules of up to 40 μm in length can be found in the posterior part of the visceral hump.

[4] Organ complexity as seen in Pseudunela cornuta (regarding excretory and reproductive features, at least) represents innovations that evolved in small, mesopsammic marine acochlidians.

Anteriorly, a nerve emerges and innervates the right body wall; no histologically differentiated osphradium could be detected.

The thin cerebro-buccal connective emerges anteriorly from each buccal ganglion and was not traceable along the entire length.

[4] The circulatory system shows a large two-chambered heart consisting of an anterior ventricle and a smaller, posterior atrium.

Nevertheless, this reproductive system is not strictly monaulic, because the internal vas deferens (for autosperm) is separated from the distal portion of the oviduct.

[4] The sac-like ovotestis extends over the half of the right side of the visceral hump and is not separated into follicles; oocytes are located more in the exterior part of the gonad and the spermatocytes are positioned more in the centre.

Anterior to the ovotestis there is a small receptaculum seminis containing sperm cells oriented with their heads to the wall, as well as a sac-like ampulla filled with unoriented autosperm.

The tube-like albumen gland is characterized by cells containing dark blue stained vesicles and long cilia.

The distal part of the mucous gland extends to the right side of the body wall where the hermaphroditic duct divides into the vas deferens and the oviduct.

The distal oviduct extends to the female gonopore opening ventrolaterally on the right side of the visceral hump to the exterior.

[4] The internal, subepidermal vas deferens extends along the right body side to the right rhinophore connecting to the anterior male copulatory organs.

The blind ending glandular paraprostate is longer and thinner than the prostate, and in contrast to the latter, highly coiled.

It is connected by the paraprostatic duct to the muscular basal finger, which is united to the penial muscle mass at its base.

The paraprostatic duct enters the basal finger approximately in the middle of the muscle and opens terminally via a hollow curved stylet of about 110 μm length.

The penis, the basal finger and parts of the ejaculatory and paraprostatic ducts are surrounded by a thin-walled penial sheath.

3D reconstruction of the general anatomy of Pseudunela cornuta .
3D reconstruction of dorsal view of the central nervous system of Pseudunela cornuta shows ganglia and their interconnections with nerves.
3D reconstruction of the right view of the central nervous system of Pseudunela cornuta .
3D reconstruction of the digestive system of Pseudunela cornuta shows for example: mouth (mo), pharynx (ph), salivary glands (sgd, sgr, sgl) and digestive gland (dg, hepatopancreas ).