Abstract
Cnidarians possess unique intracellular organelles, cnidae, which discharge by evaginating their tubular contents following certain appropriate stimuli. Every cnida consists of a capsule, a tubule or shaft, or combination of the two, and intracapsular fluid and is contained in a cell called a cnidocyte. Cnidae are divided into three major categories: nematocysts, spirocysts, and ptychocysts (Mariscal 1984). The cell containing a nematocyst, spirocyst, or ptychocyst is called a nematocyte, spirocyte, or ptychocyte, respectively.
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Hidaka, M. (1993). Mechanism of Nematocyst Discharge and Its Cellular Control. In: Advances in Comparative and Environmental Physiology. Advances in Comparative and Environmental Physiology, vol 15. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-77528-4_2
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