A morphological study of the nervous system of the praesoma of Octospinifer macilentus (Acanthocephala: Noechinorhynchidae).

The nerve pathways in the praesoma are described for the first time for a member of the genus Octospinifer. Eleven nerves, five paired, and one single, are traced from the cerebral ganglion to their associations with the musculature of the body wall, neck sense organs, and the musculature of the proboscis wall and the invertor muscles of the proboscis. The structure and location of the Stützzelle (support cell) and its association with the neck sense organs are described. A comparison with the nervous system in the praesoma of Noechinorhynchus and Paulisentis is discussed.