Anatomy of the cerebral ganglion of the male Acanthocephalan, Moniliformis dubius

An atlas of the cerebral ganglion of Moniliformis dubius has been constructed and the cells identified by number. There is a total of 88 cells, two of which are binucleate. These cells (20 and 90) are located in the frontal plane. The cell population is equally distributed between each half of the ganglion, there being 41 cells on each side with six cells centrally located between the two halves. Most cells give rise to bilateral processes and are organized in such a way that there is an outer coat of somata or cell bodies. Cell bodies predominate on the ventral surface, but the dorsal surface is more of a mixture of cell bodies and nerve processes. The core or neuropile occupies the central part of the ganglion and is the site for cross over for many cell processes which then exist from the side opposite the cell body. The cytoarchitecture of these cells varies considerably. Most have a large round nucleus with well defined nucleoli.