Question

Briefly describe crop in digestive system of leech.

Answer 1

1. Crop is the largest portion of the alimentary canal. It is divided into a series of 10 chambers.
2. The chambers communicate with one another through circular apertures surrounded by sphincters.
3. A pair of lateral, backwardly directed caecae arises as blind outgrowth from each chamber known as caeca or diverticula.
4. Crop and its diverticula can store large amount of blood which can be slowly digested. The last chamber of crop opens into stomach.
5. The stomach leads into intestine which is a small straight tube that opens into rectum. The rectum opens to the exterior by anus.