Distribution of recesses in the olfactory organ of African lungfish Protopterus aethiopicus

The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science

article

Shoko NAKAMUTA¹  Yoshio YAMAMOTO¹  Nobuaki NAKAMUTA¹ 

[1] Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University

关键词: Dipnoi;    histology;    vomeronasal;   

DOI  :  10.1292/jvms.22-0173

学科分类：兽医学

来源: Japanese Society of Veterinary Science

【 摘 要 】

In the olfactory organ of lungfish, recesses at the bases of lamellae comprise sensory and nonsensory epithelia. The sensory epithelium of the recesses, the recess epithelium, is distinguished from the olfactory epithelium covering the lamella by the absence of ciliated olfactory receptor cells. Therefore, it has been suggested that the recess epithelium is a primordium of the vomeronasal organ of tetrapods. However, developmental changes in the number and distribution of recesses in the olfactory organ of lungfish were unknown. We examined four Protopterus aethiopicus specimens of body lengths 215–800 mm to determine the localization of recesses in their olfactory organs. Histological examination showed recesses at the bases of lamellae in all individuals examined. The recesses were localized mainly in the medial and caudal parts of the olfactory organs, especially in juveniles. Compared to smaller fish, larger fish had a larger number of recesses, distributed more broadly in their olfactory organs. Significance of the recess localization and its relationship to the function of lungfish olfactory organ warrants further investigation.

【 授权许可】

Unknown