Fig. 22

Neuromuscular system of the digestive tract of Lophopodella carteri, stained for f-actin and acetylated-α-tubulin. A General myoanatomy of the digestive tract showing exclusively circular musculature in the digestive tract with dense arrangement in the pharynx and only few circular muscles in the intestine. B The proximal end of the caecum is very contracted and therefore also shows a very intense signal (asterisk). C The nervous system of the digestive tract includes a dense plexus in the pharynx region, few longitudinal neurite bundles in the cardia (arrows) and almost no staining in the intestine. D–E The caecum features a diffuse network of thin longitudinal neurite bundles (D, arrows). The proximal tip of the caecum includes a caecum basket in the form of comparable prominent longitudinal neurites as well (E). ca cardia, cae caecum, cb caecum basket, cm circular muscles, ep epistome, int intestine, ph pharynx, pp pharyngeal plexus, rm retractor muscles