Aspects ultrastructuraux et cytochimiques des hématies nucléées de deux Annélides Polychètes Notomastus latericeus Sars et Glycera convoluta Keferstein

The structure and cytochemistry (pseudoperoxidase activity and iron content) of the nucleated erythrocytes of two polychaetes, Notomastus latericeus Sars and Glycera convoluta Keferstein, have been investigated using light and electron microscopy. These cells contain few cytoplasmic organelles but do possess iron-rich structures in vacuoles and free in the cytoplasm. Both species show a pseudoperoxidase activity throughout the cytoplasm and, in the case of Notomastus, in the nucleus as well. The cytological and cytochemical aspects of these cells suggest a low metabolism and a limited lifetime, particularly in Notomastus.