Ascaris Male Cross Section Under the Microscope
Ascaris Male (Cross Section), Ascaris lumbricoides
This is a cross section of a male Ascaris roundworm, stained with H&E. It shows the roundworm body plan and the male reproductive tubes, and is often compared side by side with the female slide.
This is a cross section of a male roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), stained with H&E. The outside is a thick, tough cuticle, and just inside it is a band of long muscle cells that bend the worm's body. In the open body cavity, called the pseudocoelom, sits the flattened intestine with its lining of tall cells. Around it are many round and oval sections of the male reproductive tubes, packed with developing sperm cells. Comparing this slide with a female Ascaris shows how the sexes differ, since the female is filled with egg tubes instead.
What to look for
- Cuticle: A thick, pink, non-cellular outer layer around the whole section.
- Muscle cells: Muscle cells lining the body wall and projecting into the body cavity.
- Pseudocoelom: The open body cavity surrounding the internal tubes.
- Testis: Small round tubes, cut several times, filled with developing sperm cells.
- Vas deferens: A larger tube that carries sperm toward the rear of the worm.
- Intestine: A flattened tube lined by a single layer of tall cells.
Questions and answers
What does a male Ascaris cross section look like under a microscope?
It shows a thick outer cuticle, a layer of muscle cells, a body cavity, a flattened intestine, and several small tubes of the male reproductive system. Unlike the female, there is no uterus full of eggs.
Are male Ascaris smaller than females?
Yes. Male Ascaris are usually noticeably smaller than females, and the male tail is curled. The curl cannot be seen in a cross section, but the smaller diameter and reproductive tubes help tell them apart.
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.