Meeting Abstract

P2.50  Monday, Jan. 5  Metamorphic transformation of the corona in the predatory rotifer, Acyclus inquietus (Monogononta): the fate of the muscular system PULEO, A*; O’BRIEN, S; HOCHBERG, R; Univ. Massachusetts Lowell; Univ. Massachusetts Lowell; Univ. Massachusetts Lowell rick_hochberg@uml.edu

The atrochid rotifer, Acyclus inquietus, is an unusual predator in the sense that it maintains a sedentary lifestyle while embedded within its prey, the colonial rotifer Sinantherina socialis. As the atrochid infiltrates and becomes permanently associated with the colony, individuals of A. inquietus undergo an extraordinary metamorphosis that allows them to feed surreptitiously on neonates and adults of S. socialis. Feeding is accomplished by use of the infundibulum, a non-ciliated, muscular, hood-like structure that covers the mouth. The infundibulum is derived from the ciliated corona, a typical rotiferan feature and one that is present in neonates of A. inquietus. In this study, we examine the structure and muscular supply of both the neonate corona and the adult infundibulum to understand the events that take place during metamorphosis. We use digital microvideography to capture the behavior of both lifestages, brightfield microscopy to follow metamorphosis, and fluorescent phalloidin and CLSM to study the fate of the muscular system. We also compare the somatic muscle patterns of both lifestages to those of other species of Monogononta to make statements about the homology of specific muscle sets within the Rotifera.