1) Annelids have segmented bodies and excretory and circulatory systems. Their excretory system includes nephridia and coelomoducts. 2) Nephridia are segmentally arranged coiled tubules that function primarily for excretion. Coelomoducts are mesoderm-derived tubes that function mainly for reproduction but also secondarily for excretion. 3) There are different types of nephridia including protonephridia, metanephridia, micro/mero nephridia, and mega/holo nephridia. Nephridia can also be exonephric or enteronephric. In

1. PHYLUM ANNELIDA by Priyanka Mangotra

2. ABOUT ANNELIDS
• Defining charac.- one or more pairs of
chitinous setae
• Complete digestive tract
• Closed circulatory system
• Ventral nervous system
• Segmented worms
For eg: earthworms, leeches, tubifex worms

3. EXCRETORY SYSTEM
OF ANNELIDS

4. • Fundamental unit of excretory sys.NEPHRIDIA
• Two pairs of nephridia in each body segment
• Excrete water, mineral, salts and nitrogenous
wastes in the form of urea

5. SEGMENTAL ORGANS
• There are certain tubes called SEGMENTAL
organs, as they are repeated in successive
segments.
• Severe to convey the excretory/reproductive
products from coelom to the exterior
• They are divided into: NEPHRIDIA(derived from
ectoderm) & COELOMODUCTS(from mesoderm)
• Goodrich after careful embryological study
revealed that neph and coel were 2
morphologically diffrnt structures.

6. COELOMODUCTS
• Segmentally arranged wide tubes of
mesodermal origin
• Opens on one hand to the exterior by a genital
pore & on the other into the coelom by
relatively large ciliated funnel, the
COELOMOSTOME.

7. 
I.
II.
III.
FUNCTIONS OF COELOMODUCTS
Primarily as gonoducts
Secondarily as excretory organs
As reproductive funnels & ducts in
oligochaeta (earthworms)
IV. As the uriniferous tubules forming the
vertebrate kidney.

8. NEPHRIDIA
• Segmentally arranged coiled tubules of
ectodermal origin
• Ciliated internally & develped as
inpushings/invaginations from the ectoderm
so that they project into the coelom.
• Communicate on one hand with exterior
through laterally placed small apertures called
NEPHRIDIOPORES.

10. Nephridium

12. FUNCTIONS OF NEPHRIDIA
1. Primarily function as excretory.
2. Secondarily to convey the genital products to
the exterior
3. May as well play some role in maintaining
salt & water balance.

13. Nephridiapore
Nephrostome

14. TYPES OF NEPHRIDIA
•
•
•
•
Protonephridia(closed)
Metanephridia(opened)
Mega and micronephridia
Exo and enteronephridia

15. Protonephridia
• Closed type- seems to be more primitive type
• Terminates in the coelom as a blind tube
• Closed pre-septal end provided with peculiar
specialized excretory TUBE CELLS /
SOLENOCYTES.
• Found in Vanadis, Phyllodoce, Tomopteris, etc.

16. METANEPHRIDIA
• Opened type- far advanced
• Absence of solenocytes, its inner pre-septal end
opens into coelom by a ciliated funnel called
NEPHROSTOME.
• Thus open at both ends
• Exc. Wastes diffuse from coelomic fluid/ blood
into the lumen of the nephridial tubule &
discharged to the outside through
NEPHRIDIOPORE.
• Found in- polychaeta(Neanthes), oligochatea
(Lumbricus) & leeches

17. Metanephridia

18. MICRO & MEGA NEPHRIDIA
Micro/ mero nephridia
• Smaller but numerous in
each seg.
• Networks of fine tubes lying
on the body wall & septa in
each segment.
• Found in- Pheretima.
Mega/ holo nephridia
• Larger but generally one
pair per seg.
• Usually extend over two
segments & their
nephrostomes open into
the segs. Next in front.
• Found in- Polychaeta &
Hirudinea.

19. • Its said a pair of originally meganephridia has
broken up to form a large no. of
micronephridia.
• In Megascolex, micro & mega neph. Exist even
in same segment of worm.
• Serpula & other tubicolous worms- division of
labour exists
Anterior region- mega neph.- excretory in
function.
Posterior region- micro neph.- serve as
gonoduct.

20. EXO & ENTERO NEPHRIDIA
Exo/ecto nephridia
• Directly open to the exterior
• Nephridiopores present
• Such asMeganephridia of Nereis,
Hirudinaria & Lumbricus
Integumentary micronephridia
of Pheretima.
Entero nephridia
• Open into the excretory
canals / alimentary canals
• Nephridiopores absent
• Such asSeptal & pharyngeal nephridia
of Pheretima.

21. NEPHROMIXIA
• Compound segmental organs.
• Coelomoducts become fused partially / wholly
with nephridia to form nephromixia.
• Consist of ectoderm & mesoderm- serve for
both excretion & exit of gametes.

22. DEGREE OF COMBINATION
1. Protonephromixium• coelomoduct +protonephridium
• Convey both reproductive & excretory
products to the ext.
• Found in- Phyllodoce

23. 2. Metanephromixium• Coelomoduct + metanephridium
• Found in- Hesione.
3. Mixonephridium• Coelomoduct + nephridium
• Funnel is formed by coelomoduct
• Duct formed by nephridium
• Occur in Arenicola.

24. 4. Ciliated organs• Coelomoducts reduced to ciliated organs
• In Nereis, they are attached to the dorsolateral longitudinal muscles & known to open
externally.

25. EXCRETORY SYS IN PHERETIMA
acc to the position of neph In the body is
distinguished into:
• Nephrostome
• Body of nephridium
• Terminal duct
• Nephridial duct
SEPTAL
PHARYNGEAL
INTEGUMENTARORY
• 10 times the usual
no.
• Called FORESTS of
nephridia.

28. PHYSIOLOGY
• Gland cells extract- excess water + urea +
ammonia + creatinine –from blood.
• Septal nephridia eliminate solid part. From
coelomic fluid through nephrostomes.
 Integumentary neph(exonephric)- discharge
wastes directly to the exterior.
 Septal & pharyngeal neph- forms enteronephric nephridial sys- discharge into the
lumen of the gut

29. Special enteronephric nephridial arrangement
also serves for conservation of water / osmoregulation.
SELECTIVE RESORPTION- excretory fluid
discharged into pharynx moisten the food, as
the faeces become compacted water is
reabsorbed by intestine to be re-used by the
body. Reabsorption of salts also occurs during
fluid through the nephridia, this process is
called S.R.

30. Another means of excr.:
CHLORAGOGEN CELLS
• Yellow cells called chloragogen cells.
• Found in intestine & the dorsal blood vessel in
large no.
• Derived from the peritoneum/coelomic
epithelium of the alimentary canal.
• Take up nitrogenous waste products from the
blood capillaries of the gut & deposited as
yellow granules(guanin) in their cytoplasm.

31. • These cells are also concerned with
-deamination of proteins
-formation of ammonia
-synthesis of urea
Therefore, they are as the vital intermediary in
metabolism of earthworms as the liver in
vertebrates.

32. THANK YOU