ULTRASTRUCTURE DES STATOCYSTES CHEZ SCROBICULARIA PLANA ET TELLINA TENUIS (MOLLUSQUES LAMELLIBRANCHES TELLINACEA)

The statocysts of Scrobicularia plana and Tellina tenuis arecomposed of 8 sensory hair-cells separated by giant cells characterizedby a fibrous cytoskeleton. The sensory cells bear few ciliaespecially in S. plana. These cilia are responsible both forrotation of the statolith and for the transduction of stimuli.Their basal bodies bear a side rootlet facing a basal foot anda crown composed of 9 spokes. Such statocysts seem to receiveonly multidirectional stimuli and to allow a less diversifiedbehaviour than the statocysts of Pecten. (Received 16 September 1980;