Crystalline style formation and function in the oysterCrassostrea gigas(Thunberg, 1795)

Abstract

The crystalline style disappears from Pacific oysters held out of water, but is completely reformed 1 hour after submergence. The style is secreted and dissolved along its entire length and does not move forward into the stomach. It is renewed every 8 hours in submerged oysters or follows the tidal cycle in tidal localities. The style carries a thin superficial coating of mucus and food particles which travel its length in 50 minutes at 17°C. It is possible that the crystalline style functions by mechanically pressing nutritious particles against the absorptive epithelium of the style pouch and is a substitute for an almost total lack of muscular elements in the bivalve alimentary canal.