University of South Florida Scholar Commons Integrative Biology Books Integrative Biology 1891 Morphological Studies on the Echinoderms: A Translation of Études Morphologiques sur les Échinodermes Lucien Cuénot John M. Lawrence University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/bin_books Recommended Citation Cuénot, L. (2020). Morphological Studies on the Echinoderms: A Translation of Études Morphologiques sur les Échinodermes (J. M. Lawrence, Trans.). Herizos Press, Tampa. This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Integrative Biology at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Integrative Biology Books by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Cuénot, L. 1891. Études morphologiques sur les Échinodermes Archives de Biologie. 11. 313–680. Cuénot, L.1891. Morphological studies on the echinoderms. Translated by John M. Lawrence. © Herizos Press, Tampa. John M. Lawrence. Lucien Claude Jules Marie Cuénot was born in Paris on 21 October, 1866 and died in Nancy on 7 January, 1951. He was elected to the Academy of Science in 1932. An account of his life and work was given in a lecture to the Academy by Robert Courrier, Perpetual Secretary of the Academy in 1952. He called Cuénot a biologist of exceptional value who honored the Academy as a member. Cuénot entered the Sorbonne in 1883. Intially interested in paleontology, the influence of Lacaze-Duthiers directed him to zoology. He received his licentiate in natural sciences in 1885 and the doctorate in natural sciences only two years later in 1887 at the age of 21, both at Paris. He then took the position of préparateur of anatomy and comparative physiology in the Faculty of Science at Paris where he also began studies in medicine. After one year he took the position of maîtrise de conferences at Lyon and then joined the Faculty of Sciences of Nancy in 1890. He became chair of zoology in 1898. He stayed in that position until his retirement in 1937. Courrier said Cuénot was very affable to the “humble” but was sometimes biting to his colleagues. After his thesis on starfish, Cuénot published numerous papers on the anatomy and physiology of echinoderms and other invertebrates with an experimental approach. After his retirement, he published (1948) “Anatomie, éthologie et systématique des Échinodermes” in Traité de Zoologie. Cuénot is perhaps best known in the scientific world for his work with genetics. According to Hickman and Caims (Genetics. 163, 839-841, 2003), Cuénot was the first to demonstrate that Mendel’s laws of inhertance apply to animals as well as plants. They gave an account of Cuénot’s contribution. As soon as Mendel’s work was rediscovered with plants in 1900, Cuénot asked the question whether Mendel’s rules applied to animals. He established a mouse colony and reported in 1902 that inheritance of coat color followed Mendel’s laws. Cuénot continued his genetic studies until 1914, when he had to abandon his mouse colony with the invasion of Nancy by German troops. He was over 50 when the war ended and returned to his physiological and zoological studies. Morphological studies on the echinoderms BY L. CUÉNOT Lecturer of a complementary course of Zoology at the Factulty of Sciences of Nancy _______ PLATES XXIV TO XXXI. ______ INTRODUCTION Echinoderms have been the object of a considerable number of works, mainly monographic, that have little by little clarified the structure and the importance of the different organic systems. From this point of view, agreement is not far from being definitively established. But the morphological studies are far from being as advanced. There is not, as it were, concerted works on echinoderms from a comparative point of view. It is this gap that I try to fill now. I previously studied asteroids and ophiuroids (1887-88). In later years I have revised the work related to holothuroids and echinoids, laying a little to the side the crinoids for good reason as we shall see later. I have followed moreover as near as possible the transformation of the systems and organs in the different groups, as well as their organogenesis, from the moment where the echinoderm separates itself from the larva and is free up to the adult state. I hope to have found some new facts and above all to have simplified the general concept of the echinoderm. The gaps that I have had to leave and the errors that I have made should be excused in consideration of the considerable work I have undertaken. A general work on echinoderms would perhaps appear out of place – and presumptuous – when Ludwig has published his vey complete studies in “Bronn’s Thierreichs”. I want to take a comparative point of view, absolutely different from that of Ludwig. His “Echinodermen” constitutes a true bibliographic monument, to which it will always be necessary to refer. de Lacaze-Duthiers has kindly sent me fresh and preserved asteroids and ophiuroids from the stations at Banyuls and Roscoff. I express here all my gratitude to him and also to Friant, professor of the Faculty of Sciences of Nancy, whose liberality has permitted me to obtain a certain number of interesting species that are not found on our coasts. I thank very much Herbert Carpenter, Danielssen (director of the Bergen Museum, Brunotte (associated with the Superior School of Pharmacy of Nancy) for the specimens of crinoids and holothuroids that they have kindly given me, and finally to my excellent friends, Doctors Saint-Remy and Hecht, who have obligingly made various histological preparations at Roscoff. Species studied. – Among the asteroids, in addition to the species of our coasts and the Red Sea cited in my first work1, I have studied Asterias tenuispina Lamarck (Mediterranean), remarkable 1 Contribution à l’étude anatomique des Astérides, Arch. Zool. Exp., 2e série, vol. V and following, 1887 (see p. 134). for its reproduction by fission. Among the ophiuroids, nearly all of the species from the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and of the Mediterranean (Roscoff and Banyuls), Ophiactis virens Lütken (Gulf of Naples), which also reproduces by division, a certain number of ophiuroids and an Astrophyton from the Red Sea (mission of Dr. Faurot). Among the urchins, the regulars and spatangoids common on our coasts and three clypeasteroids, Echinocyamus pusillus Gray (specimens from the Mediterranean), a specimen of Echinodiscus biforis A. Agassiz (Red Sea, mission of Dr. Faurot) and one of Peronella orbicularis A. Ag. Among the crinoids, I have studied Antedon rosacea Linck (Roscoff and Banyuls) and the arms of various species collected by the Challenger, for which I am obliged to H. Carpenter (Actinometra nobilis and solaris, Antedon, Escherichtii, Pentacrinus Wyvile-Thomsoni and docorus, as well as the stalk and the cirri of the latter species. Among the holothuroids, I have had available Cucumaria Planci v. Marenzeller and cucumis Sars from the Mediterranean; Cucumaria Lacazii Hérouard (from Roscoff)2; a species lacking Cuvierian tubules, Holothuria impatiens Gmelin (Mediterranean); and an elasipod in perfect state of preservation, Elpidia glacialis Théel, that Danielsen has kindly sent me. Among the synaptids, I have studied only Synapta inhærens Düb. and Koren (Atlantic Ocean). Synonymy. – Ludwig gave in 1879 a list of all the species from the Mediterranean. I have adopted all the names he used. The reader should certainly refer to this work for the synonymy (see also Carus, Prodromus Faunæ Mediterranæ, part 1, 1884, Stuttgart). For the asteroids, I have followed Perrier (Revision des Stellérides du Museum), for the echinoids A. Agassiz (Revision of the Echini); I shall refer especially to the list of extant species that he gave in his Report of the Challenger (page 208). For the other groups, I have referred to the most authoritative specialists, H. Carpenter, Lyman, Lampert, etc. Techniques. – I have naturally used all methods of study, but especially serial sections that give invaluable certain results. Because of the hardness of the connective tissue, it is difficult to use anything but the microtomes of Yung or Schanze with the dérouleur of Naples that is indispensable. As a histological fixative, it makes no difference if alcohol, mercuric chloride, picric acid, etc. are used. Echinoderms are preserved indefinitely in excellent state in 90% alcohol. Flemming’s chromo-aceto-osmic acid solution usually gives very good results for cytological studies. Prolonged immersion in 1% osmic acid (24 hours), then in distilled water is recommended for dissociation. It is nearly always necessary to decalcify. Here is the procedure I use: the fixed tissue is immersed in 70% alcohol with some drops of hydrochloric acid or picro-nitric acid that is renewed as many times as necessary in a way that decalcification is slow and complete. After the acid bath, the tissue is immersed in absolute alcohol at least twelve hours under a partial vacuum. In this way, no gas bubbles remain in the tissue. It is much preferable to stain in bulk in order to have a selection. I often use a double stain that I have borrowed from Remy Perrier and Bernard on the prosobranchs (Ann. Sc. Nat., 7° série, vol. 8, 1889; vol. 9, 1890) and which has given me excellent results. The decalcified and washed tissue is stained either with ammonium picrocarmine or boric acid picrocarmine. It is then dehydrated by immersion several hours in 70% to 90% alcohol, then 2 Cucumaria Lacazii has been placed by Hérouard into the genus Colochirus.As H. Ludwig has kindly informed me in a special letter this species completely lacks the characters of the genus Colochirus (buccal area divided into five rays; tube feet of the bivium transformed into simple papillae). As Hérouard and others remarked, this species is very near various exotic Cucumaria described by Ludwig.