EXCRETION IN ANNELIDA

INTRODUCTION
The excretory system in Annelida has
long history. Many zoologists namely
a
Gegenbaur (1833), Stephenson (1930), Goodrich (1946), K. N. Bahl (1934/42/45/
46 and 1947) and Ramsay (1947) worked on
nephridia of different species in Annelida.
Annelids have segmentally repeated tubes called
and coelomoducts.
segmental organs, they are nephridia
Excretory organs in Annelida are metamerically arranged pairs of coiled tubes called
nephridia. Each nephridium develops from a single cell, called nephroblast. In other words,
their ciliated lumen is intracellular. They are ciliated
from the exctoderm projecting into the coelom. The
internally and develop as inpushings
a sort of tunnel between the
nephridia are open at both ends and form
body cavity and exterior. Anephridium opens into the coelomby
a ciliated funnel or
nephrostome either, in the same segment in which it lies or in the segment
just in front; and at the other end the nephridium opens to the exterior by a nephridiophore.
The external aperture or nephridiopore is situated in the
integument.
Nephridia remove waste from the coelom, but their original function was probably
removal ofwater fromthe body. Coelomoducts may be
excretory, or combine excretion with
the function of conducting germ cells to the
exterior, or only to conduct germ cells to the
exterior which was perhaps their original function.
A typical nephridium consists ofa
nephrostome or a funnel that projects into the
coelom and leads to the nephridial duct. The nephridial duct
may be long, short, coiled or
modified.
The coelomoducts rarely open to the outside and fuse
partialy or completely with the
The
nephridia. primary function of coelomoduct is carrying the genital products, which are
formed from the wall of the coelom. But secondarily, it also takes the
and sometimes it becomes exclusively
up excretory functions
in
excretory function.
When the coelomoducts and nephridia are combined and not
then this compound structure is called
independent structures
nephromixia. Their external pores and even the canals
become combined. As the nephridium is ectodermal in
origin and the coelomoduct is
mesodermal in origin, hence a nephromixium is formed by the combination both
and mesoderm. It performs dual functions as in one hand it serves the
of ectoderm
function of excretion
and the other hand it also serves as a passage for the gametes. Sometimes they share the
on
same
externalopening and sometimes whenthey are in close association they act as a common
duct.
 Blology P

32
the exterio
to the
exteri

D E E I N T O N O NEPHRIDIUM.

tubule
which
opens
(aas
ssso
occi
íaat
teed with
y termi hrough the
ted funnelcelscaleaq
( d

excretory blind
tubule is thecilated
definedas
an
tis innerend ofthe
ofthe coelom
inrough

andthe in the
nephridiopore protonephridium oropens
n the
sokeocyfes)
nephrostonein metanephridum.

whichhanoe:
T Y P I C A L N E P H R I D I U M

ngs intote
STRUCTUREOFA
cilated
funnel
ora
nephrostome
consists ofa
nephridium
Atypical duct. short, convoluted
long, short, convoluted or
ormmodse
( nephridial
coelom and keads
to the maybe long,
nephridium
T h e nephridial
duct orbodyofthe
by blood v e s s
otherwise. situatedtransversely
and Is accompanied essels.
intemally, caled nephridiopore
ciliated
( T h educt is an openmg,
duct opens to the exterior by called nephridia, whinh
ate
() The nephridial consists of units,
system lies in ecoelom,
the andte
coelom, and
ln general, the
excretory
ofthenephridium
inner aperture
metamer
metamericaly arranged and the
outer is situated in the integument.
aperture
CEASSIFCATION OF NEPHRIDIUM
encountered in phylum
Annelida. They are (A
Two types ofnephridial systems are
and (B) the Permanent nephridia.
Provisional or embryonic nephridia
NEPHRIDIA
PROVISIONAL OR EMBRYONIC
(A) as so0on as permanent
structures and disappear
Embryonic nephridia are temporary
are present onlyduring
enmbryonic stages oflife. The embryonis
nephridia start developing. They
trunk segments.
nephridia occur in both head and head nephridia are present in manypolychaetes
1. Embryonic head nephridia: Embryonic head
larva and embryos. Their ends lie in the embryonic
and oligochaetes. They are paired in
In Echiurus and Pohgordius these nephridia
cavity Solenocytes occur at the end ofthe tube.
are ofbranched type. Nephridia (After K. N. Bahl)
2. Embryonic trunk
nephridia: Embryonic
trunk nephridia may persist Embryonic Permannt
(found in embryonic stage) (found in adult stage)
in those forms where
pemanent nephridlia do not
develop. They are
segmentally arranged. One Cephalic Truncal Macronephridia Peptonephridia
nephridia nephridia
pair occur in each segment.
Micronephridia Tuffed nephridia
Funnel open into trunk
Fig. 4.1 Classification of Nephridia
region.
Annelde 33

Five such pairs ofnephridia persist in Nereis. In most Nephrostome

oligochactes, and in many polychaetes and in hirudinea also
pemanent nephridia are absent in some of the anterior Nephridlepore
segments. Thus the provisional nephridia present in the larval
stage continued in the later stage of life also. Structurally
embryonic nephridium is similar to those of permanent coelom lin ing-
nephndnim. But in Ghcera and Phyllodoce, the inner aperure
is absent and in Hirudinea both
the inner and outer apertures
are absent in
embryonic nephridium. Coelom
(B) PERMANENT NEPHRIDIA
The structure resembles a Septum
ciiated nephrostome open into
typical nephridium. The
coelom, and the long internally Integument-
coiled duct opens extemally by
and nephridiopore. Nephrostome Nephroblaet
nephridiopore may occur in the same segment or the
segment forward.
Depending upon the size and number present in a
segment the nephridia are divided into 4 types: Fig. 4.2 Development of
metanephridia in annelids
(a) Meganephridia or Holonephridia.
(b) Micronephridia or Meronephridia
(C) Peptonephridia.
(d) Tufted nephridia.
(a) Meganephridia or Holonephridia: These are larger in size and
they
occupyare found ir
segments. Their nephrostome open into the next segment. Meganephridia
almost two-
Lumbricus, Nereis, Chaetogaster and Megascolex.
(b) Micronephridia or Meronephridia: These are small or microscopic and mumerous i
each segment. It is believed that the micronephridia are
nothing but broken or disintegrate
meganephridia. The three types of nephridia found in Pheretima i.e. septal, pharyngeal a-
integumentary are micronephridia.
(c)Peptonephridia: Peptonephridia develop by the modificationofsalivary glands in buc
and pharyngeal region. They are found in oligochaeta, in the form of clusters.
(d) Tufted nephridia: These are derived by the modification of micro or macronephr
They are incompletely branched and are grouped together. These are found in one or se
ofpre-clitellar segments of many earthworms.
It is viewed that Peptonephridia and tufted nephridia, represent an interm
stage between a holonephridium and a group of completely separated meronephridia
According to the presence or absence of nephrostome, the nephridia may be
or open type.
When the nephridium possesses a funnel, it is called open type.
(i) Lacking a funnel in the nephridium is closed type.