Muscle System of Aspidogaster limacoides (Trematoda, Aspidogastridae)

This article describes the musculature of the body, the pharynx, and the ventral disc of Aspidogaster limacoides. The body wall contains three muscle layers: circular, longitudinal, and diagonal. Numerous chordal muscles oriented both transversely and longitudinally, along with body wall and radial musculature, precondition the mobility of the oral funnel. Apart from radial, the pharynx musculature includes outer longitudinal, inner circular, and outer circular muscles, the latter forming the anterior sphincter. The ventral disc being alveolar in its structure, the diversity of its musculature is restricted: the septa contain no chordal muscles or sphincters. The architectonics of parenchymal musculature has three main features due to its large disc size, i.e., the presence of two muscle septa in the parenchima, the dorsoventral musculature being located lateroventrally from muscle septa, and a considerable development of visceromotor muscles.