A backside from which a brain and four eyes grow – this actually happens to a worm that lives in the sea. The invertebrates’ hind segments, which are up to nine centimeters long, also have their own antennae and swimming brushes, as a Japanese team of scientists has now discovered.
It was already known that the worm species Megasyllis nipponica detaches the rear part of the body – filled with eggs or sperm – to spawn. At some point, the back separates from the rest of the body and swims away as a four-eyed reproductive unit in search of a mate, the scientists report in the journal ‘Scientific Reports’.
The team led by Toru Miura from the University of Tokyo has now looked at this process in detail. The head with eyes and antennae is made while the segments are still attached to the original body. Before the spur separates, it also develops a kind of brain that allows it to feel and act independently.
Four eyes and antennae for collecting pheromones
The independent appendages even have a simple digestive tract, the researchers report. Their two pairs of eyes are even larger than those of the mother – presumably for better perception of brightness. Their short antennae probably served to receive so-called pheromones – special messenger substances from other extensions that are potential partners.
According to the research team, it cannot yet be said with certainty what in the worm determines whether eggs or sperm are stored in the behind. What is clear, however, is that the process is not a one-off: the worms can develop further offshoots.
But why does the worm and the worm’s reproductive unit go their separate ways? The researchers speculate that an animal can spread more easily through suckers that are separated in different places. Furthermore, the mother animal is spared as the reproductive unit begins its risky search for a mate and becomes prey.
Source: Krone
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