Ascaris Female Cross Section Under the Microscope
Ascaris Female (Cross Section), Ascaris lumbricoides
This is a cross section of a female Ascaris, a large parasitic roundworm, stained with H&E. It is a standard slide for learning roundworm body structure and comparing female and male anatomy.
This is a cross section of a female roundworm, Ascaris lumbricoides, stained with H&E. A thick, nonliving cuticle covers the outside and protects the worm. Just inside it, a band of long muscle cells reaches into the body cavity, called a pseudocoelom. Two large, round uterus tubes are packed with eggs, and many small circles are cuts through the coiled ovary tubes. A long, flat intestine curves along one side, and students can use the egg-filled uteri to tell this female apart from a male Ascaris.
What to look for
- Cuticle: A thick, smooth, pink outer layer with no cells in it, forming the worm's tough skin.
- Muscle cells: Tall muscle cells lining the inside of the body wall and bulging into the body cavity.
- Pseudocoelom: The open body cavity between the body wall and the organs.
- Uterus: Large tubes filled with many small, round eggs.
- Ovary tubules: Smaller round tubes cut many times over, packed with developing egg cells.
- Intestine: A flattened tube lined with a single layer of tall cells with purple nuclei.
Questions and answers
How do you tell a female Ascaris from a male in cross section?
A female cross section has large uterus tubes stuffed with eggs, plus many small ovary tubules. A male cross section instead shows the testis and sperm duct, and no egg-filled uterus.
What is a pseudocoelom?
A pseudocoelom is a body cavity that is only partly lined by tissue from the middle germ layer. Roundworms like Ascaris have one, which is why they are called pseudocoelomates.
Why is Ascaris studied in biology class?
Ascaris is large enough to section easily and shows the basic roundworm body plan clearly. It is also a real human parasite, which connects the slide to health topics.
Compare it
- Category
- Pathology & Parasitology
- Scan magnification
- 20x
- Stain
- H&E
Viewing this slide in class
This is a scan of a real prepared slide, not a simulation or a drawing. On StudyScope you can pan from the whole slide down to individual structures, always in focus, and measure them in real micrometers with the calibrated ruler. Present it live and every student screen follows your view and annotations. Students join with a room code on Chromebooks, iPads, or any browser, with no accounts.