A special technique for studying haptoral sclerites of monogeneans

The marginal hooks and anchors have been digested from the haptors of the monogeneans Gyrodactylus salaris and Discocotyle sagittata. These structures then can be measured and drawn more accurately than those surrounded by haptoral tissue. The technique also facilitates the study of isolated hooks with SEM. The results of studies using this digestion technique are presented.