Mehlis gland ('mā-lis-) also called Shell gland, is primarily present surrounding the
ootype of
Platyhelminthes
The flatworms, flat worms, Platyhelminthes, or platyhelminths (from the Greek πλατύ, ''platy'', meaning "flat" and ἕλμινς (root: ἑλμινθ-), ''helminth-'', meaning "worm") are a phylum of relatively simple bilaterian, unsegme ...
, and it is a part of the female reproductive organ of Platyhelminthes.
Shape and size
It is a unicellular gland of egg shape. The shape of Mehli's gland is almost round or shell shaped and is attached with the ootype through certain fatty members.
Etymology
It was so named as it was first discovered by German physician Karl Friedrich Eduard Mehlis (1796–1832).
Function
As a part of female reproductive organ it has an important role in guiding the
ova
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
out towards the passage ending in the uterus of flat worms. Thus, its secretion lubricates the passage of uterus through which ova move.
It may play a part in eggshell formation.
See also
*
Reproductive system of Trematoda
*
Reproductive system of Flatworms
References
{{Platyhelminth-stub
Platyhelminth anatomy