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In living Ophryotrocha puerilis, Polyophthalmus pictus and Dinophilus gyrociliatus no modified cilia are present. Treatment with hyper- and hypotonic magnesium chloride solutions leads to the formation of either cilia with dilated tips or discocilia (paddle cilia). Discocilia show axoneme loops within distal swellings of the ciliary membranes. Both types of modified cilia regain their normal appearance if they are allowed to recover in seawater. The total number of discocilia and the diameter of the loops are inversely related to the osmolarity of the magnesium chloride solution used. Even isotonic solutions of magnesium chloride, which are usually used to anaesthetize marine worms, readily induce modified cilia. This indicates that the effect is not merely due to osmotic conditions. Glutaraldehyde and osmium tetroxide may act in the same way to induce modified cilia, a fact which may account for the numerous TEM and SEM documentations of modified cilia in various marine invertebrates. Which cilia in a particular species are modified varies from one specimen to another.

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