ALBERT

Notes: The blood of Perophora viridis is found to contain six types of cells: (1) Green cells, which have green-colored fatty bodies embedded in clear cytoplasm. (2) Orange cells, with orange-colored bodies of unknown composition in the cytoplasm. (3) Colorless berry-like cells, with fluid-filled vesicles in the cytoplasm. (4) Granular amoeboid cells. (5) Compartmental amoeboid cells, which have box-like vacuoles containing brownian granules of a fatty substance. (6) Vesicular, signet-ring type of cell having a single large vacuole. The cytological structure of these cells and their reaction to various dyes are described.An effort has been made to homologize the types of cells found in the blood of other ascidians with those found in Perophora.It is concluded that the variety of colors found in the cells of ascidian blood is due to the varying chemical states of the vanadium-containing chromogen present in the cells.

Notes: Disintegration in killing agents was studied throughout development. In the unfertilized egg and cleavage stages the death gradient runs from animal to vegetal pole. In the late blastula stage the future dorsal surface and future point of gastrulation show heightened susceptibility. The gastrula has a gradient from anterior to posterior end along its dorsal surface, with a slight reverse gradient around the blastopore; lateral and ventral regions are least susceptible.Before and after the appearance of the neural groove, the dorsal surface shows increased susceptibility with gradient in it from anterior to posterior end. The neural tube is highly susceptible, with a death gradient from anterior to posterior end and a slight reverse gradient at its posterior end.During late stages and in the larva the double gradient is present; death begins at the two ends and progresses backward from head, forward from anus; from the former most rapidly. The least susceptible place is near the posterior end. The posterior reverse gradient is less developed in the lamprey than in other vertebrate embryos, due, probably, to its lack of a tail bud.Assuming that death differences indicate differences in rate of activity, it appears that such differences in activity may be causes and not results of developmental processes, for the development of certain parts (dorsal surface, blastopore, central nervous system) is indicated by heightened activity before it is evident morphologically.

Notes: The summary of this paper is as follows:1A critical review of the developmental evidence shows that the branchial pouches are formed in cephalocaudal sequence subsequently to the segmentation of the dorsal mesoderm.2The pouches interrupt a continuous sheet of mesoderm to form the branchial arches.3The arches when formed do not correspond topographically to the dorsal somites.4Branchiomerism does not therefore coincide with somitic metamerism.3The branchial structures do not support the theory of head segmentation.3The nervi trigeminus, facialis, glossopharyngeus, and vagus cannot be regarded as segmental nerves.3There is no evidence that branchial pouches or arches have been elided from the series.3The problem of meristic homology is briefly discussed.

Notes: The literature on the general subject of freezing and survival both in plants and in animals is briefly reviewed and a bibliography given. Insects representing three ecological groups, (1) the oak borers - exposed to temperature extremes normally; (2) stored-products insects representing supposedly a tropical or subtropical group, and, (3) aquatic insects never exposed to temperatures lower than 0°C., were chosen for this study. Determinations of the freezing and undercooling points were made during the yearly cycle.Both the stored-products insects and the aquatic insects studied showed no periodicity in freezing or undercooling. The oak borers showed marked periodicity. The freezing-point varies directly with the moisture content. Cold-hardiness was produced experimentally by, (1) exposure of insects to low temperatures and, (2) by dehydration. Loss of cold-hardiness was produced experimentally by combinations of high temperature, food, and high relative humidity. The freezing-point ordinarily found corresponds with that of the blood. Repeated freezings of the same insect or tissue showed no hysteresis. There exists in certain insects a secondary freezing-point below that ordinarily found. Oak borers in summer condition die at the first freezing-point; in fully hardened condition they die at the secondary freezingpoint.

Notes: The ant Formica exsectoides F. builds mounds with some reference to sunlight, and measurements of internal temperatures have shown them higher in upper parts of the mound, but different in different faces of the mound - all higher than the earth outside the mound.Inside temperatures are not constant; they are due to the sunshine. The mound is so fabricated that the internal temperatures are conserved during the night. The ants make use of the differential internal temperatures for rearing broods.Some mounds show bilateral symmetry dependent upon sun exposure.Measurements of rate of running of these ants show a falling off with lower temperatures, and possibly this is one factor in the smaller development of northerly aspects of these mounds.

Notes: In the early cleavage stages of Ascaris the homologous chromosomes are of unequal length. Measurements show that these homologues fall into two sharply defined groups suggesting their biparental origin. The shorter are considered to have come from the male.As the age of the embryo increases, these differences between the chromosome mates tend to become less, and it is suggested that at some later period in the history of the animal this difference will entirely disappear in response to the effect of continued existence in a common environment. The length of the chromosomes is very slightly shortened during the early cleavage divisions, while the area of the equatorial cross-section of the cells becomes enormously reduced.

Notes: The rates of oxygen consumption of single pupae of blowflies (Phormia terraenovae, Phormia regina, Lucilia sericata), of the flesh fly (Sarcophaga sarracenioides Aldrich), of the Mediterranean flour moth (Ephestia kuehniella), and of the bee moth (Galleria mellonella) during metamorphosis, until emergence, have been determined. The record for each pupa, with the exception of those of blowflies, is practically continuous day and night during the period of pupal development which lasted from 140 to 300 hours, according to the species, at the temperatures used. During pupal development there is first a period of decrease in rate, which is later followed by a steady increase until a short time before emergence, when a sudden decrease occurs.The ‘oxygen curves’ of the blowfly pupae (Diptera) are quite different from those of the flour-moth and bee-moth pupae (Lepidoptera), although all are of the same general U-shaped type. There are strong indications of a specific difference in the curves of the blow-fly pupae. The flour-moth pupae curves differ slightly from those of the bee-moth pupae. During the major part of development the rates of O2 consumption of pupae of both sexes of bee moth and flour moth are about the same, but near the end of metamorphosis the females have higher rates than the males. No such sex difference appears among the dipterous pupae used.

Notes: The history of investigations on the contractile vacuole is reviewed briefly and brought up to date.The study of the contractile vacuole in Amoeba proteus is considered from standpoints of origin, structure, behavior, and function. The results are obtained from a prolonged study of normal organisms and from their reactions when introduced into conductivity water.The origin of vacuoles is studied by means of dark-field illumination which reveals the vacuole to be formed from a fusion and coalescence of extremely minute droplets.The retaining ‘wall’ of the contractile vacuole is not a permanent structure, but is in the nature of a condensation membrane, totally disappearing with each contraction.The loci of the contractile vacuoles are not permanent, but vacuoles are formed more or less at random. It is unlikely that they are supported in gelated areas, for amoebae with a dozen vacuoles are quite active and there is no interference with amoeboid movement.Conductivity water increases the size, number, and rate of contraction of contractile vacuoles, which suggests that they may function in maintaining an osmotic gradient as well as in the elimination of metabolic waste.

Notes: The eggs of Corella develop in the atrial chamber of the parent at a pH below that of normal sea-water (pH 7.4 ±). When removed to normal sea-water in early stages and under certain other experimental conditions, larval development is more or less inhibited, the tail being most inhibited, the dorsal region somewhat less. The free larval stage may be eliminated and later development and metamorphosis may proceed normally to an advanced stage in the chorion and give rise to normal ascidians. The region most inhibited are, in general, those which possess the highest reducing power, as indicated by KMnO4. Experiments made in the attempt to control development all agree in indicating that the early stages are adjusted to a certain CO2 concentration approximately that of the atrial chamber and presumably near that of the body. Solutions of the same pH may or may not inhibit development according to their CO2 content.The tail, the region of highest reducing power in the embryo during its development, is most inhibited; the dorsal region, the next most rapidly reducing region, is next in degree of inhibition. All differences in reducing power disappear when, or soon after, the animals are killed by other agents before treatment with KMnO4.

Notes: The claspers of Centrina are adnate with the pelvic fin and bear a spine as in other Spinacidae. Mustelus canis resembles M. lunulatus rather than M. vulgaris. The claspers of Chiloscyllium end in a pointed spike. Pseudotriakis resembles the Carchariidae. The three North American Atlantic species of the genus Raia are considered, and R. laevis and R. erinacea are placed in the pseudogenus containing R. batis, and a new pseudogenus erected for R. ocellata. A gross and histological account is given of the Cowper's glands of Homo, and they are shown to be homoplastic with clasper glands, similar in structure, arrangement, development, and function.

Notes: In the golden-mantled ground-squirrel, Callospermophilus, a spatulate glandular area has been noted in the skin of the back. It has been found in the following species: C. l. lateralis, C. l. arizonensis, C. l. caryi, C. l. saturatus, C. l. tescorum, C. c. chrysodeirus, and C. bernardinus. Probably it is common to the genus.The individual glands making up this area are modified and enlarged sudoriparous glands. They are divided into a tightly coiled and branched fundus, a large sinus, and a duct which passes caudad and outward to its exit at the surface.The glands secrete a strongly smelling oil, which is probably left on vegetation and other objects in the animal's environment and serves as a source of information to other members of the species. The glands are more active in spring and summer than in winter. They are stimulated by excitement. While present in both sexes, both adult and juvenile, they are best developed in adult males.Callospermophilus has three anal glands. These have flat-topped, straight-sided nipples which are protruded from the anus if the animal is frightened. A milky substance with a very weak odor can be extruded.

Notes: The study is divided into three parts. Part I deals with the chromosome number and morphology in the amniotic cells of rabbit embryos. The number of chromosomes has been found essentially constant in amniotic cells of young, but more variable in older embryos. The somatic number is 44. Part II deals with the chromosomes of race crosses (Flemmish Giant X Polish) in which the homologous chromosomes were found to be alike. Part III deals with spermatogenesis. There are forty-four chromosomes in spermatogonia, and twenty-two in primary spermatocytes. The sex chromosomes are of the usual X-Y type.

Notes: 1Monovalent cation salts induce reversal in the direction of the stroke of the cilia; bivalent and trivalent cation salts with a few exceptions do not. Some acids induce reversal, others do not.2The duration of reversed action varies with the kind of salt and with the concentration. As the concentration increases, the duration of reversed action increases to a maximum and then decreases to zero.3Bivalent and trivalent cation salts neutralize the effect of monovalent cation salts. The relative amount required varies with the kind of salt used and with the concentration.4The amount of a given salt required to neutralize another salt is not proportional to the concentration of the salt neutralized. Weber's law does not hold.5The results seem to indicate that ciliary reversal is associated with differential adsorption and consequent changes in electric potential, but that there are also other factors involved.

Notes: Webbing of toes or fingers in man is produced by a local arrest of development, causing retention of the normal embryonic webbing. This type of digital fusion involves only the skin, the skeleton being unaffected. The extensor tendons of the toes may sometimes be fused.Webbed digits occur normally in some marsupials, rodents, and insectivores, in a number of lemurs and catarrhines, and in the siamang and gorilla. They also may occur in varying degree in other Primates, notably Hylobates. An analysis of five new pedigrees together with those already published demonstrates that webbing of toes in man may be inherited in either a mendelian or sex-linked manner. In one case this character follows the course of the Y-chromosome.

Notes: The cupula of the supraorbital neuromast in the lateral line canal of the clown knifefish contains vertical columns. In the central region of the cupula overlying the macula, these columns are densely packed, are relatively constant in size, and run from the base of the cupula to the surface of the cupula which is exposed to canal fluid. There are two types of columns, dark and light, which form elliptical compartments in planes of section that cut across the columns; the cupula therefore has the appearance of mosaic tile in such sections. The dark compartments contain tubules that extend from the base of the cupula at the junction with the macula to the top of the cupula. Each tubule is associated with the kinocilium of a single hair cell. The lateral parts of the cupula, not overlying the macula, also contain compartments, but these compartments differ in size and structure from those in the central region. In addition to the compartments, the central region of the cupula also contains spherical aggregates of droplets. These small aggregates, termed mora, are found principally in a layer within the central region of the cupula, but are also found outside this layer. Because of their light-reflecting properties, the mora can be used for noninvasive optical measurements in vivo of the motion of the cupula.

Notes: Light and electron microscopic examination demonstrated two types of non-endocrine agranular cells, cavity boundary cells and stellate cells, in the adenohypophysis of the South American lungfish, Lepidosiren paradoxa. The cavity boundary cells line the hypophyseal cleft and diverticulum and display few microvilli, occasional cilia, prominent junctional complexes, and many cytoplasmic microfilaments. The stellate cells are scattered in the glandular parenchyma and are devoid of microvilli and cilia. When adjacent, they are connected to one another by desmosomes. Pinocytotic vesicles or caveolae are frequently seen along the plasma membrane of the agranular cells adjoining the endocrine cells or abutting on the basement membrane. Possible roles of the agranular cells, physically and metabolically supportive functions, are discussed on the basis of their ultrastractural features.

Notes: The paired organ of Bellonci protrudes from the optic lobe of the giant Antarctic isopod, Glyptonotus antarcticus. It is linked to the cortex by a broad peduncle. No connection to the cuticle or “sensory pore organ” was found. A cluster of sensory-like cells forms two outer ciliary segments branching into numerous microvilli with microtubules. The putative sensory somata are irregular in shape and contain a very high density of glycogen granules. The two outer segments sprout from two pits of the soma in different directions, forming a right angle. Glial cells wrap around the sensory cells and also delimit lacunae into which bundles of microvilli project. These lacunae contain electron-dense granules of small size and with species-specific patterns. Lacunae and dense granules show features typical of a degeneration process in the sensory cells.This general morphology corresponds to the unilobular type of organ of Bellonci, known in other isopods; it differs from the plurilobular type with onion bodies found in other Crustacea.

Notes: Neuromast structure in Rana cancrivora larvae was observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Neuromast units, each being composed of two or three neuromasts, are arranged in several well-defined lines in the head, body, and tail regions. The structure of neuromasts in these three regions is basically identical. The neuromast is composed of sensory, sustentacular, and mantle cells. The top of each neuromast has a hillocklike appearance, and is surrounded by four to six epidermal cells with tight intercellular junctions. Long kinocilia and many stereocilia occur in the apex of the neuromasts and are surrounded by numerous microvilli. Numerous granules are present on the apical portions of the mantle and the sustentacular cells. Four or five trapeziform mantle cells are connected closely with each other to form the shell of the neuromast. Large intercellular spaces occur between the mantle cells and the cells of the inner epidermal layers, and between the cells of the inner epidermal layer. Thus, at the apical parts of the neuromast intercellular junctions are tight and the intercellular spaces are more dilated in more basal areas. Morphologically the neuromasts of R. cancrivora larvae resemble those of generalized pond anurans, based on the grouping of Lannoo (Journal of Morphology 191:115-129, 1987a), although larvae of this species inhabit brackish water.

Notes: Orbital gland structure of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, was examined at the macroscopic, light microscopic, and electron microscopic levels. The gland completely encircles the ocular globe in a belt-like fashion near the conjunctival fornix but is considerably more developed medially. Duct openings are scattered throughout the fornix and over the surface of the palpebral conjunctiva. Microscopically, the gland has a tubuloalveolar arrangement; alveolar cells contain numerous secretory vesicles which can be interpreted as two structural types by light and electron microscopy. Histochemical staining demonstrates that both types contain glycosaminoglycans. Lipid analysis of the glandular secretion (dolphin tears) shows them to be non-oily and to contain only negligible amounts of cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids, and free fatty acids. The secretion is clear, slippery, and viscoelastic and well-adapted to protecting the eye and to reducing frictional forces between the eye surface and surrounding seawater.

Notes: The muscle fibers of the feline biceps femoris have tapered ends, across which tension is transmitted to the endomysium. The angle of taper of 11 ends, measured on scanning electron micrographs, varied between 0.16° and 1.18°. The muscle fibers are highly variable in cross-sectional shape. The shape of the fibers has been quantified as the ratio (form factor [FF]) of the measured perimeter to the calculated circumference of a circle having an area equal to that contained by the fiber perimeter. The FF for 173 terminal portions of fibers varied between 1.06 and 1.85 and was found to have a highly significant negative correlation with sarcomere length. The slope of the regression line suggests that the fibers maintain both volume and surface area as they change length. These studies suggest that isovolumic muscle fibers maintain a constant surface area by changing shape as they change length.

Notes: Salt glands of the domestic duck Anas platyrhynchos differ from those of the herring gull Larus argentatus and other birds. In ducks, each salt gland consists of distinct medial and lateral segments. Centrally located drainage ducts that extend along the entire length of these medial and lateral segments collect hypertonic fluid secreted by an array of lobules. Each lobule is formed by a single mass of branched tubules in which the direction of capillary blood flow is opposite to that of the secreted fluid. This fluid drains from the medial segment through an external duct that opens into the nasal cavity at the base of the vestibular fold. A duct from the lateral segment loops and opens onto the surface of the nasal septum. The structure and function of the secretory cells is reviewed briefly within the context of our study of the configuration of duck nasal salt glands.

Notes: A contrast radiographic study of pelvic fin drainage in rays reveals considerable differences in patterns of drainage among the species studied. The “typical” shark pattern of drainage, to the lateral abdominal vein, is also found in rays with shark-like morphology. However, variation in the connections of pelvic fin veins to muscular and cutaneous vessels of the pectoral fin occurs in the more “derived” batoid groups, with marked differences between rays of similar external morphology and mode of locomotion. There is a positive association between the pattern of fin drainage and the number of radial cartilages in the posterior (metapterygial) lobe of the pectoral fin. Variation in shark pelvic fin drainage may also be related to differences in pectoral fin morphology.

Notes: Dissections of Sudan black B stained specimens reveal that, of a complex of medial, intermediate, and lateral muscles of skates, presumed homologous to the cucullaris of sharks, only the lateral muscle is innervated by a branch or branches of the vagus and is inserted, in part, to the fused pharyngobranchials of the caudal visceral arches. The medial and intermediate muscles are supplied by separate branches of rostral spinal nerves and do not attach to the branchial skeleton. The lateral muscle therefore is the most likely homologue of the cucullaris (trapezius) of sharks and perhaps other fishes and tetrapods. The medial and intermediate muscles appear to be part of the axial musculature.

Notes: An immunocytological study of four different parts of the gut of Helix aspersa clearly demonstrates the presence of many cells and fibers immunoreactive toward antibodies directed to vertebrate (α, β-endorphin, α, β-MSH, ACTH 1-24 and ACTH 17-39, met-enkephalin, somatostatin, insulin, glucagon, P.P., serotonin) or invertebrate (FMRF-amide) peptides.These results are evidence of the presence of different substances related to known peptides or amines in the epithelial and connective tissue cells and nerve fibers of the snail gut. Immunocytochemistry may help to elucidate the morpho-functional characteristics of the enteroendocrine cells of H. aspersa.

Notes: A histochemical investigation of kidney and lower intestine of the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) shows no carbonic anhydrase activity in proximal convoluted tubules, although activity is seen in similarly prepared sections of rat proximal tubules. Early distal tubule cells in the starling are stained throughout the cytoplasm and at the apical and highly infolded basolateral membranes. Late distal tubules lose apical activity and have reduced basolateral infolding, resulting in less intense staining. Darkly stained intercalated cells appear in the connecting tubules and cortical collecting ducts. Both of these segments also show intense basolateral staining. Medullary cones of the starling are highly organized, with central zones containing unstained thin descending limbs of loops of Henle, surrounded by both medullary collecting ducts with only scattered cells staining for enzyme, and by thick ascending limb segments. The latter contain many uniformly stained cells intermingled with occasional unstained cells. Scattered cells of the starling colonic villi demonstrate intense apical brush border membrane staining as well as cytoplasmic staining. Cells lining the cloaca stain less intensely. A biochemical assay for carbonic anhydrase was used to quantify enzyme activity in these tissues. Starling kidney contained 1.96 ± 0.33 (mean ± SEM) enzyme units/mg protein, less than half the activity seen in rat kidney. Stripped colonic epithelium contained 0.66 ± 0.15 enzyme units/mg protein. These quantitative results correlate well with the interpretations derived from the histochemical observations. The lack of proximal tubule carbonic anhydrase activity suggests that the avian kidney relies more on distal nephron segments to achieve net acidification of the urine.

Notes: The orientation of the fibers in the dermis of the tiger salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum, undergoes a dramatic repatterning at metamorphosis. The pre-metamorphic, larval dermis is a tight layer composed of crossed fibers that wind helically around the trunk. This condition is retained by neotenic adults which do not undergo metamorphosis. In contrast, the metamorphosed adult dermis consists of a superficial, loose network of fibers invested with large multicellular glands - -the stratum spongiosum - and a deeper tight layer of fibers - the stratum densum. However, unlike the crossed fibers of the pre-metamorphic dermis, there is no preferred orientation to the fibers in either layer of the post-metamorphic dermis.In order to evaluate whether these two distinctly different fiber patterns are constructed from biochemically similar fibers, the collagen types present in the pre- and post-metamorphic dermis were determined using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Type I collagen is the predominant collagen of the dermis and the same major collagen types are present for all individuals, whether preor post-metamorphic. Thus, the major types of collagen that compose the dermal fibers do not change during metamorphic repatterning of the dermis.

Notes: In the first half of this century, several workers observed small, seemingly glandular structures attached to the ampullate glands of spiders. Hence, they were termed accessory ampullate glands. In juvenile Araneus cavaticus, two pairs of these structures are present (starting at least with third instars), one pair attached to the major ampullate (MaA) glands and the other pair attached to the minor ampullate (MiA) glands. In adults, two pairs of accessory MaA glands and two pairs of accessory MiA glands are present. The two latter-formed pairs of accessory ampullate glands are clearly the remnants of those ampullate glands which atrophy shortly after adulthood is reached. Morphological similarities between these accessory ampullate glands and those present in juveniles provide an indication that the latter also have their origin in functional ampullate glands.A reduction in the number of ampullate glands following the last molt occurs in many spiders. The reason(s) for these reductions is unknown. In penultimate spiders close to ecdysis, we have observed that while the larger pairs of MaA and MiA glands (those that are retained in the adult) are undergoing molt-related changes which apparently render them nonfunctional, their smaller counterparts are seemingly unaffected and functional. This raises the possibility that the principal role of the smaller ampullate glands may be to assume functions during the pre-ecdysial period which are normally in the domain of the larger ampullate glands. If true, then their degeneration after the last molt would make economic sense.The presence of cylindrical spigots in juvenile females starting with fourth instars is documented.

Notes: Three basic types of cells are distinguished in the rat vomeronasal epithelium at birth: bipolar neurons, supporting cells, and basal cells. Neurons at this time include both immature and differentiated cells. By the end of the first postnatal week, all neurons show morphological signs of maturity in their cytoplasm, including abundant granular and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, neurotubules, dense lamellar bodies, apical centrioles, and tufts of microvilli. During the third week microvilli are more frequently encountered and appear to be longer and more branched. Supporting cells appear well-developed by the second day after birth. During the first ten days of life, supporting cells lose their centrioles and all of the complex associated with ciliary generation in the apical zone. Basal cells appear to be more numerous in newborns than in older animals. Protrusions projecting into the lumen are frequently observed in the epithelium of newborn animals, both on the dendrites of neurons and on supporting cells. After the third week, such protrusions are only observed in the transitional zone between the sensory and the non-sensory epithelia of the vomeronasal tubes. In this transitional zone, a fourth cell type showing apical protrusions with microvilli differentiates. Cytoplasm in this type resembles that of neighboring ciliated cells but has no cilia or centrioles. These transitional cells are considered to be cells in an intermediate state of differentiation, between that of the differentiated neurons and supporting cells of the sensory epithelium and that of the predominate ciliated cells of the non-sensory epithelium. The results suggest that by the end of the third week the vomeronasal epithelium is morphologically mature.

Notes: The wall of the stomach of the tigerfish is described and compared with that of other vertebrates. Light microscopic and ultrastructural characteristics of the stomach wall correspond to a large extent to those of other vertebrates, although some differences are found. The mucosa contains (1) surface epithelium characterized by narrow columnar cells with abundant mucous granules; (2) gastric glands consisting of pepsinogenic cells of variable height, containing tubulovesicles and bearing microvilli; (3) five granulated cell types located basally in the epithelium (types 1-5); and (4) lamina propria and muscularis mucosae. Connective tissue separating smooth muscle fibers of the muscularis mucosae constitutes a stratum compactum. The submucosa contains a loose connective tissue, a tunica muscularis of inner circular and outer longitudinal layers, and a serosa of mesothelium and subjacent connective tissue. Immunocytochemical tests with antisera to five polypeptides show gastrin/cholecystokinin (CCK), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) immunoreactivities in some cells of the gastric glands, and somatostatin in cells lying among epithelial cells lining the gastric luminal surface or gastric pits.

Notes: Previous studies by Stephens and McNulty and Strecker and Stephens have demonstrated that foil barriers placed between the mesonephros and lateral plate at stages 12 to 15 inhibited limb development, but foil barriers placed between the neural tube and somites at stages 11 to 12 resulted in limbs with normal skeletal patterns. It was concluded that some influence present in the paraxial region of the embryo at stages 11 to 15 is necessary for normal limb development. The present study was undertaken to localize that influence more precisely. Foil barriers were placed in the lateral edge of the somites or segmental plate of stage 10 to 15 chick embryos. Barriers placed into stage 13 to 15 embryos resulted in chicks with normal limbs, but barriers placed into stage 10 to 11 embryos resulted in chicks with defective limbs. Barriers inserted just lateral to Hensen's node at stages 6 to 8 resulted in embryos with defective or absent wings. We also grafted stage 4 to 9 presumptive limb territories with and without Hensen's node. Explants without Hensen's node formed limb-like structures in 1% of the cases. Explants with Hensen's node formed limb-like structures in 27% of the cases. When barriers were implanted and a node was placed on the lateral side of the barrier, limbs formed in 40% of the cases. These data suggest a medial to lateral progression of some as yet unknown morphogenetic influence necessary for normal limb development and we hypothesized that the influence may initially emanate from Hensen's node.

Notes: The limb bone skeleton of the moa, a family of extinct ratite birds endemic to New Zealand, is described with particular reference to the anatomical and functional significance of osteological landmark form variation. The results generally support the existing classification of moa. Four genera, Megalapteryx, Anomalopteryx, Dinornis, and Pachyornis, were found to be evolved within moa, with Emeus and Euryapteryx possibly being more primitive. Megalapteryx was found to be less mobile than other moa genera. The Dinornis species were found to be more cursorial and more mobile relative to other moa. They may also have had a different center of gravity. A marked development of the lower leg in Anomalopteryx suggested a digging habit associated with food procurement.

Notes: A detailed description of muscular and skeletal features of the pelvi-cloacal region of the amphisbaenian Blanus cinereus reveals that the species has real hind limbs articulating with a real pelvic girdle. Arguments support this homology: 1) a link with the vertebral column; 2) a movable articulation, showing all the features of a diarthrosis, between the femur and the acetabulum; 3) all the long bone characteristics for the femur which distally bears a horny element. The morphological peculiarities of the amphisbaenian pelvic girdle are generally close to those of lizards, but the pubis seems to be more reduced. For the same number of precloacal vertebrae, the amphisbaenians have more appendicular elements than lizards have, and this composition recalls that of the Leptotyphlopidae, Aniliidae, and Boidae. The account provides more information concerning the aponeuro-tendinous system associated to the skeleton of the girdle and the hindlimb, the musculature, and the interrelations between the different structures of the pelvi-cloacal region.

Notes: Programmed cell death is an integral and ubiquitous phenomenon of development that is responsible for the reduction of wing size in female moths of Orgyia leucostigma (Lymantriidae). Throughout larval and pupal life, cells of the wing epithelium proliferate and interact to form normal imaginal discs and pupal wings in both sexes. But at the onset of adult development, most cells in female O. leucostigma wings degenerate over a brief, 2-day period. Lysosomes and autophagic vacuoles appear in cells of the wing epithelium shortly after it retracts from the pupal cuticle. Hemocytes actively participate in removing the resulting cellular debris. By contrast, epithelial cells in wings of developing adult males of O. leucostigma do not undergo massive cell death. Wing epithelium of female pupae transferred to male pupal hosts behaves autonomously in this foreign environment. By pupation, cells of the female wing apparently are committed to self-destruct even in a male pupal environment. Normal interactions among epithelial cells within the plane of a wing monolayer as well as between the upper and lower monolayers of the wing are disrupted in female O. leucostigma by massive cell degeneration. Despite this disruption, the remaining cells of the wing contribute to the formation of a diminutive, but reasonably proportioned, adult wing with scales and veins.

Notes: We describe the localization of lipids in the wall and superficial ooplasm of the largest avian ovarian follicles by the use of different fixatives and light and electron microscopy. We demonstrate that each yolk globule is always accompanied by one or more highly osmiophilic and sudanophilic alcohol insoluble yolk masses, which we have called satellite yolk. Together with the protein containing yolk globule it forms an integral morphological part of a compartmentalized, bipartite yolk system. Cytochemical, histoautoradiographic, biochemical, and light and electron microscopical aspects of satellite yolk were studied. At the start of satellite yolk formation in the 3-4 mm diameter follicle (when the oocyte begins to yellow) the distribution of the microcirculation of the follicle wall becomes printed on the underlying superficial ooplasm of the oocyte. The oocyte then presents so-called yolk mountains (containing satellite yolk), only localized below the thecal capillary sinus and not below the efferent and radially perforating thecal veins (black hole regions). We also describe the structural continuity between the thecal intercellular spaces and the microvilli-associated extracellular spaces of the granulosa cells via the basement membrane. The thecal cells present centripetal extensions into the basement membrane and the basement membrane material extends centripetally into the granulosa microvillar channels. Therefore, at least two cellular barriers are crossed when fat or fat precursors are transported from the thecal capillary sinus to the ooplasm.

Notes: Embryos of the poeciliid Heterandria formosa develop to term in the ovarian follicle in which they establish a placental association with the follicle wall (follicular placenta) and undergo a 3,900% increase in embryonic dry weight. This study does not confirm the belief that the embryonic component of the follicular placenta is formed only by the surfaces of the pericardial and yolk sacs; early in development the entire embryonic surface functions in absorption. The pericardial sac expands to form a hood-like structure that covers the head of the embryo and together with the yolk sac is extensively vascularized by a portal plexus derived from the vitelline circulation. The hood-like pericardial sac is considered to be a pericardial amnion-serosa. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy reveal that during the early and middle phases of development (Tavolga's stages 10-18 for Xiphophorus maculatus) the entire embryo is covered by a bilaminar epithelium whose apical surface is characterized by numerous, elongate microvilli and coated pits and vesicles. Electron-lucent vesicles in the apical cytoplasm appear to be endosomes while a heterogeneous group of dense-staining vesicles display many features characteristic of lysosomes. As in the larvae of other teleosts, cells resembling chloride cells are also present in the surface epithelium. Endothelial cells of the portal plexus lie directly beneath the surface epithelium of the pericardial and yolk sacs and possess numerous transcytotic vesicles. The microvillous surface epithelium becomes restricted to the pericardial and yolk sacs late in development when elsewhere on the embryo the non-absorptive epidermis differentiates. We postulate that before the definitive epidermis differentiates, the entire embryonic surface constitutes the embryonic component of the follicular placenta. The absorptive surface epithelium appears to be the principle embryonic adaptation for maternal-embryonic nutrient uptake in H. formosa, suggesting that a change in the normal differentiation of the surface epithelium was of primary importance to the acquisition of matrotrophy in this species. In other species of viviparous poeciliid fishes in which there is little or no transfer of maternal nutrients, the embryonic surface epithelium is of the non-absorptive type.

Notes: The flagellum of the thysanopteran spermatozoon has been examined by electron microscopy and computer-aided image analysis. The flagellum consists of 27 microtubular elements that probably are formed as outgrowths from three separate basal bodies. Nine of the elements are normal microtubular doublets that carry dynein arms and nine are doublets without dynein arms. The remaining nine elements are microtubular singlets that apparently bear dynein arms and have the same appearance as A-subtubules of microtubular doublets. The 27 elements are arranged in a fixed pattern that consists of nine groups, each of which begins with a microtubular singlet and ends with an arm-less microtubular doublet. Computer-aided image analysis has shown that the A-subtubules of the doublets and the microtubular singlets have lumens with very similar patterns. The sperm tail is known to have some motility; it generates fast waves running along its length. The amalgamated axonemes hence act as a functional flagellum. The thysanopteran sperm tail is the only type of flagellum known to us that consists of microtubules in a highly asymmetric array.

Notes: Many arachnids lack extensor muscles at the femoropatellar (knee) joint of their legs and extend this joint with hydraulic pressure during locomotion. Pressure is generated through compression of the prosoma, but there is disagreement about which muscles are involved in this process. Many arachhnologists consider contraction of the musculi laterales, a group of modified extrinsic leg muscles, as the cause of high prosomal pressure and regard hydraulic extension as a derived feature. However, integration of results from phylogenetic and comparative anatomical studies supports the view that hydraulic extension is primitive in Arachnida and that fluid pressure is generated by contraction of endosternal suspensor muscles.The functional predictions of the musculi laterales and endosternite hypotheses were tested by measuring muscle activity and prosomal pressure during unrestrained locomotion in a primitively “extensorless” arachnid, the giant whipscorpion. The results corroborate the endosternite model and refute the musculi laterales model. Changes in the prosomal pressure baseline were correlated with changes in endosternal muscle activity, while the musculi laterales fired in a step-coupled pattern of discrete bursts that appeared to be incapable of generating the pressure observed during locomotion. Step-coupled fluctuations in prosomal pressure were observed but were apparently caused by rapid flexing of the femoropatellar joints of the fourth leg pair rather than contraction of the musculi laterales.

Notes: In the fungiform papilla of Rana esculenta (Anura Ranidae), the Ca++-ATPase is mainly distributed on the basolateral membrane of the sensory area cells (i.e., neuroepithelial, supporting, and mucous cells). Apical membranes of all cells facing the surface present a slight enzymatic activity. Lateral wall cells have a strong Ca++-ATPase activity on basolateral and apical membranes. Strong Na+, K+-ATPase activity occurs on the apical surface of neuroepithelial cells. Ca++-ATPase activity is absent on the surface of endothelial cells of the capillaries located under the sensory area. These observations lead us to conclude that the sensory area of fungiform papilla is the selective way for calcium influx. Furthermore the absence of ATPase activity on the surface of the endothelial cells indicates that there is no functional barrier to calcium influx into capillary, and that calcium can be removed by vessels from the sensory area.

Notes: Spermatogenesis and sperm ultrastructure were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in the longidorid Xiphinema theresiae. All germ cell stages, except spermatogonia, are present in the testes of young adult males. The nonflagellated, slightly elongated sperm displays little intraspecific variation and, although never polarized into a head and tail region, has a remarkably precise form, with a high degree of internal organization. Incipient fingerlike pseudopodia appear in the young spermatid and increase to such an extent that the adult sperm has a conspicuous “woolly” appearance. Microfilament bundles encircle the perinuclear mitochondria in the spermatid, and seem to be closely associated with the evaginated plasma membrane, especially in the spermatozoon. A large nucleus with nuclear envelope is prominent in the spermatocyte, but the envelope is absent in the young spermatid. Mitochondria are present in all germ cell stages and undergo certain morphological changes (e.g., in size and number, presence or absence of cristae), as well as changes in intracellular movements during spermatogenesis. Membranous organelles are prominent in the spermatocyte, but disappear in the older spermatid. Annulate lamellae and a residual body (i.e., cytophore) are conspicuous in the spermatocyte and spermatid, respectively; the spermatozoon clearly lacks a refringent body (i.e., acrosome).

Notes: The morphology and distribution of muscle spindles of jaw and tongue muscles in the mallard were examined in serial transverse sections of single muscles and in horizontal sections of a whole head. Our observations on spindle morphology are in agreement with previous descriptions of spindles in birds. Some spindles differ in their innervation and the pattern of intrafusal muscle fibers. The spindles of individual adductor and pterygoid muscles are distributed unevenly. Some adductor muscles lack spindles, whereas those of other muscles are confined to limited areas. Jaw opening muscles and extrinsic tongue muscles lack spindles. The stretch of extrafusal muscle fibers could be estimated from the difference in sarcomere length for birds with the beak open and closed. Not all muscle fiber groups are stretched evenly over the whole range of jaw opening. Only those fiber groups that are continuously stretched during jaw opening contain spindles.

Notes: Living embryos of three species of South American annual fishes, Cynolebias constanciae, C. nigripinnis, and C. whitei, were observed from fertilization through the 10-somite stage. A description of normal stages of development applicable to all three species of Cynolebias is presented. Cleavage (stages 1-10) is meroblastic and produces a typical teleost blastoderm. Following cleavage (stages 11-13) blastomeres segregate into two populations, viz., (1) a population of deep blastomeres that will disperse as single motile cells, and (2) a hemispherical shell of outer blastomeres that flattens to form an enveloping cell layer (EVL). When epiboly of the EVL and the yolk syncytial layer (YSL) commences (stage 14), deep blastomeres clump together as a consolidation mass and then migrate outward as single cells on the YSL. When epiboly is concluded (stage 19), deep blastomeres have completely dispersed. If diapause does not intervene, the dispersed phase lasts only a few days. Subsequently, the dispersed cells come together to form a definitive aggregate (stage 27). Embryogenesis within the reaggregated mass of previously dispersed cells produces a typical teleost embryo.Early development in Cynolebias resembles that of other South American annual fishes, such as Austrofundulus, in that a phase of deep blastomere dispersion and reaggregation spatially and temporally separates epiboly from embryogenesis. Several features of development markedly differ from Austrofundulus. There are far fewer (250 vs. 2,500) deep blastomeres. Deep cells of Cynolebias are flattened rhomboids with filipodial extensions in contrast to the amoeboid cells of Austrofundulus. Blastomeres of dispersion and reaggregation stages in Cynolebias send out numerous cell surface extensions onto the YSL and in contact with one another, and often line up in rows as do some African annual fishes, e.g., Nothobranchius. During Dispersion II (stage 21), Reaggregation I (stage 22), and Reaggregation II (stage 23), deep cells move in an oriented pattern with respective mean velocities of 3.48 ± 0.91, 1.28 ± 0.46, and 1.31 ± 0.31 μm/minute. Cells move toward a granular mass of unknown composition, located at the YSL-yolk interface in the lower hemisphere of the egg. This mass appears to coincide with the site of cell reaggregation.

Notes: Several surfperches (Embiotocidae), including the black surfperch, Embiotoca jacksoni, exhibit a specialized prey handling behavior known as winnowing, in which ingested food and non-nutritive debris are separated within the oropharyngeal cavity. Prey items are swallowed, and unpalatable material is ejected from the mouth. Winnowing is believed to play an important role in the partitioning of food resources among sympatric embiotocids. We present a mechanistic model for this separative prey processing based on high-speed video analysis, cineradiography, electromyography, and buccal and opercular cavity pressure transducer recording.Winnowing by embiotocids is characterized by premaxillary protrusions repeated cyclically with reduced oral gape. Protrusion is accompanied by depression of the hyoid apparatus and adduction of the opercula. Alternating expansion and contraction of the buccal and opercular cavities generate regular pressure waveforms that indicate bidirectional water flow during processing. Separation of food from debris by Embiotoca jacksoni occurs in three phases. The prey-debris bolus is transported anteriorly and posteriorly within the oropharyngeal cavity and is then sheared by the pharyngeal jaws. Mechanical processing is complemented by the rinsing action of water currents during hydraulic prey transport.The feeding apparatus of Embiotoca jacksoni is functionally versatile, although not obviously specialized relative to that of nonwinnowing surfperches. Protrusion of the premaxillae and depression of the hyoid apparatus are critical to both prey capture and subsequent prey processing. The pharyngeal jaws exhibit kinematic patterns during separation of food from debris distinct from those observed during mastication of uncontaminated prey. This behavioral flexibility facilitates resource partitioning and the coexistence of E. jacksoni in sympatric embiotocid assemblages.

Notes: Quantifying shape is a broad problem in the morphological sciences. Most techniques for numerically describing shape abstract the shape into the most logical ideal Euclidean dimension. The fractional, or fractal, dimension is a simple computation that expresses shape in real, rather than ideal, space. The structured walk technique developed for the fractal analysis of rugged boundaries is applied here to the contour of the human sagittal suture in order to discriminate the separate morphological patterns of interfingering and interlocking. These attributes contribute differentially to the suture's “complexity,” a concept often used in biomechanical hypotheses. Previous techniques for estimating sutural complexity do not isolate small-scale from large-scale morphological patterns. Results indicate that despite the visual appearance of great variation, human sagittal sutures are remarkably consistent in the degree of complexity expressed separately by large-scale interfingering lateral excursions and small-scale interlocking ruggedness. There is no significant correlation between the absolute or bregma-lambda chord length of the human sagittal suture and its degree of complexity as determined by the structured walk technique.

Notes: Different types and degrees of “spontaneous” and artificially induced cyclopic malformation in fishes are defined. Symmetrical cyclopia ranges from approximation of the eyes, to partial merger of the eyes in the midline, to complete cyclopia with a single median eye. It is always associated with dorsal displacement of the rostral-nasal apparatus to the top of the head. Skeletal reorganization associated with symmetrical cyclopia is described for the first time, using hatchery material of Salmo gairdneri and S. trutta. Development of the nasal capsule is essentially normal, except for position; the trabeculae cranii remain in the normal position but show modified shape corresponding to the degree of cyclopia. The jaw apparatus is modified through anterior foreshortening, especially the upper jaws. The branchial apparatus is unaffected. The condition demonstrates that later morphogenesis of the nasal capsule and trabeculae cranii are independent of each other. Cyclopia appears to result from alteration of relative position and timing in developmental events in the head, especially the prosencephalon.

Notes: The interrenal (adrenal) of Ichthyophis beddomei lies on the ventral side of the kidney, distributed in four zones. It is separated from the renal tissue by a thin layer of connective tissue and contains both adrenocortical and chromaffin cells. Adrenocortical tissue constitutes a major portion of the interrenal islets; the chromaffin tissue consists of a few cells located at the peripheries of the interrenal islets. Histochemical studies demonstrate the presence of Δ53β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, 17 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, and sudanophilic lipids in the adrenocortical tissue, suggesting its steroidogenic potential. Annual histometric and histochemical studies show two peaks of interrenal activity: (1) during the breeding phase of the reproductive cycle (January and February) and (2) during the season of heavy monsoon rains (June and July) in the postbreeding phase.

Notes: The avian wrist is extraordinarily adapted for flight. Its intricate osteology is constructed to perform four very different, but extremely important, flight-related functions. (1) Throughout the downstroke, the cuneiform transmits force from the carpometacarpus to the ulna and prevents the manus from hyperpronating. (2) While gliding or maneuvering, the scapholunar interlocks with the carpometacarpus and prevents the manus from supinating. By employing both carpal bones simultaneously birds can lock the manus into place during flight. (3) Throughout the downstroke-upstroke transition, the articular ridge on the distal extremity of the ulna, in conjuction with the cuneiform, guides the manus from the plane of the wing toward the body. (4) During take-off or landing, the upstroke of some heavy birds exhibits a pronounced flick of the manus. The backward component of this flick is produced by reversing the wrist mechanism that enables the manus to rotate toward the body during the early upstroke. The upward component of the flick is generated by mechanical interplay between the ventral ramus of the cuneiform, the ventral ridge of the carpometacarpus, and the ulnocarpo-metacarpal ligament.Without the highly specialized osteology of the wrist it is doubtful that birds would be able to carry out successfully the wing motions associated with flapping flight. Yet in Archaeopteryx, the wrist displays a very different morphology that lacks all the key features found in the modern avian wrist. Therefore, Archaeopteryx was probably incapable of executing the kinematics of modern avian powered flight.

Notes: Analyses of the histology, histochemistry, and ultrastructre of the Harderian gland of Coluber viridiflavus prove the gland to be compound acinar and to produce a seromucous secretion. Acinar cells (type I) contain secretory granules that are composite, consisting ultrastructurally of three distinct parts that are sharply separated. They are similar to the “special secretory granules” described in the cells of the Harderian gland of the lizard Podarcis s. sicula. Some acini of the most anterior and posterior parts of the gland are mucous. Acinar cells (type II) of this type contain secretory granules that are Alcian blue/PAS positve. At the ultrastructural level, they appear homogeneous and of low density, characteristic of mucous secretions. These mucus-secreting anterior and posterior parts of the Harderian gland may by considered as regions of intial differentiation of the anterior and posterior lacrimal galnds.

Notes: Subdigital adhesive pads play an important role in the locomotion of many species of gekkonid lizards. These pads consist of integrated components derived from the epidermis, dermis, vascular system, subcuticular tendons, and phalanges. These components become intimately associated with each other during the developmental differentiation of the digits and the sequence of this integration is outlined herein in Ptyodactylus guttatus. The pads initially appear as paired swellings at the distal tips of the digits. Subsequently, a fan-like array of naked scansors develops on the ventral surface of each digit, at about the same time that scales differentiate over the surface of the foot as a whole. At the time of appearance of the naked scansors, the vascular sinus system of the pad also differentiates, along with subcuticular connective tissue specializations. At this stage the digits, along with the rest of the body, are clad in an embryonic periderm. Only after hatching and as the periderm is shed, do the epidermal setae and spines appear. The developmental sequence described here is consistent with predictions previously advanced about the evolutionary origin and elaboration of subdigital pads in gekkonid lizards. The paucity of available staged embryonic material leaves many questions unresolved.

Notes: Histology, histochemistry, and biochemistry of the oviduct change seasonally in relationship to the annual ovarian cycle of Calotes versicolor. Histological changes show distinct changes in various components of the infundibulum, uterus and vagina of the oviduct. The active phase in the oviduct cycle of C. versicolor is relatively long, extending from April to October. Histochemical results of the oviduct during the breeding season show PAS-positive glycosaminoglycans in the mucosal epithelium as well as the presence of hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases, esterase, and intense acid phosphatase activity in the uterine glands. Biochemically alkaline and acid phosphatase show marked cyclic changes in the infundibulum and uterus respectively during the oviduct cycle. Greater activity was observed during the breeding season. β-Glucuronidase, on the other hand, shows an inverse relationship with the oviduct cycle being most active during the regressive phase and least at the time of reproductive phase.

Notes: The innervation of the musculature of the tongue and the hyobranchial apparatus of caecilians has long been assumed to be simple and to exhibit little interspecific variation. A study of 14 genera representing all six families of caecilians demonstrates that general patterns of innervations by the trigeminal, facial, glossopharyngeal, and vagus nerves are similar across taxa but that the composition of the “hypoglossal” nerve is highly variable. Probably in all caecilians, spinal nerves 1 and 2 contribute to the hypoglossal. In addition, in certain taxa, an “occipital,” the vagus, and/or spinal 3 appear to contribute fibers to the composition of the hypoglossal nerve. These patterns, the lengths of fusion of the contributing elements, and the branching patterns of the hypoglossal are assessed according to the currently accepted hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships of caecilians, and of amphibians. An hypothesis is proposed that limblessness and a simple tongue, with concomitant reduced complexity of innervation of muscles associated with limbs and the tongue, has released a constraint on pattern of innervation. As a consequence, a greater diversity and, in several taxa, greater complexity of neuroanatomical associations of nerve roots to form the hypoglossal are expressed.

Notes: The electron density of the lipid droplets and mitochondrial matrix of the interrenal cells of Rana perezi differs during the year. This makes it possible to characterize the different stages of interrenal cell activity. A droplet/mitochondria index, based on their relative size, may provide an indicator of cellular activity.

Notes: The nereid polychaete, Platynereis dumerilii, possess two pairs of post-trochophoral eyes with one vitreous body each. The development of these eyes has first been observed in 2-day-old larvae. Whether the eye anlagen arise from stem cells or from undifferentiated ectodermal tissue was not determined. At first, the anlagen of the anterior and the posterior eyes adjoin each other. They separate in late 3-day-old larvae. The first separated eye complexes consist each of two supporting and two sensory cells. The supporting cells synthesize two different kinds of granules, the pigment granules of the pigment cup and the prospective tubules of the vitreous body. These tubules accumulate in the distal process of the supporting cell. The vitreous body is formed by compartments of the supporting cells filled with the osmiophilic vitreous body tubules. The short, bulbar photosensory processes bear microvilli that emerge into the ocular cavity. At the apex of each sensory cell process, a single cilium (or occasionally two) arises. The sensory cells contain a different kind of pigment granule within their necks at the level of the pigment cup. The rate of eye development and differentiation varies. New supporting cells are added to the rim of the eye cup. They contribute to the periphery of the vitreous body like onion skins, and sensory cells move between supporting cells. The older the individual compartments of the vitreous body are, the more densely packed is their content of vitreous body tubules. Elongation of the sensory and supporting cell processes of the older cells increases the volume of the eye. The eyespots of the trochophore are briefly described as of the two-celled rhabdomeric type with a single basal body with ciliary rootlet.

Notes: Movements of the neck, jaws, and hyolingual apparatus during inertial feeding in Caiman crocodilus were studied by cineradiography. Analysis reveals two kinds of cycles: inertial bites (reposition, kill/crush, and transport) and swallowing cycles. They differ in their gape profile and in displacement of the neck, cranium, and hyolingual apparatus.Inertial bites are initiated by an elevation of the neck and cranium; the head is then retracted backward, the prey simultaneously being lifted by the hyolingual apparatus. Next the lower jaw is depressed, and the prey is rapidly pushed further upward by the hyolingual apparatus. Thereafter fast mouth-closure occurs with the neck and cranium being abruptly depressed, the lower jaw elevated, and the hyolingual apparatus rapidly retracted ventrally. Depression of the neck and cranium thrusts the head forward and impacts the backward moving prey more posteriorly in the oral cavity.Swallowing cycles initially involve movement of the hyoid in front of the prey followed by rapid posteroventrad retraction of the hyoid, forcing the prey into the esophagus during opening and closing of the mouth. After mouth-closure, the hyoid apparatus is again protracted.Jaws, neck, tongue, and hyoid apparatus play an active role during intertial feeding sequences. At the beginning of a feeding sequence, the hyolingual apparatus mainly moves dorsoventrally, whereas toward the end of a sequence anteroposterior displacements of the hyoid are prominent. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: The morphology of the female reproductive tract and corpus luteum is examined in Sphenomorphus fragilis, a lizard from the lowland regions of New Guinea exhibiting incipient viviparity. Females oviposit eggs that hatch either immediately or within a few hours. Corpora lutea form from ovulated follicles and decrease in diameter as embryonic development progresses. The oviduct from vitellogenic females is sparsely populated with well developed uterine glands containing secretory granules. The eggs are covered with a relatively thin shell (10 μm thick) composed of an inner boundary layer and proteinacous fibers. The secreted shell is complete by early neurulation. Shell morphology does not change throughout the remainder of the in utero incubation period. A well vascularized uterus and chorioallantoic membrane provide simple placentation. These findings suggest that the reduction in shell thickness associated with the evolution of a placenta is due to a decrease in the number of shell glands in the uterus and is not a delay or inhibition of the shelling process per se. This hypothesis further suggests that the selective forces favoring shell gland loss act on the vitellogenic female during gland recruitment which occurs prior to ovulation and not on the pregnant female. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: Study of the esophageal microscopic morphology of adult Rana perezi by light and electron microscopy discloses some large folds throughout the esophagus that are in themselves ringed. Glandular ostia open in the furrows of the luminal surface. The esophageal wall is made up of a connective adventitia rich in melanocytes, a muscular tunica, a connective and glandular subepithelial layer, and a pseudostratified ciliated epithelium. This epithelium basically consists of ciliated, goblet, basal, microvillous-apex, and migratory cells. Two types of goblet cells are distinguished with regard to the granular ultrastructure. The microvillous-apex cell has not been found in other amphibians. It shows a very differentiated morphology with a high number of mitochondria. The basal cells give the epithelium a pseudostratified morphology, and they have a proliferative function. Glands are branched and drain through an excretory duct that has a monolayered mucosecreting epithelium. The glandular units are formed by two principal types of cells: mucosecretory and serous. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: The spermathecae of Eurycea cirrigera are exocrine glands in the cloaca that secrete a substance that bathes sperm stored in the lumen after mating and prior to oviposition. Many sperm remain in the spermathecae after oviposition, and the spermathecal epithelium becomes spermiophagic. Pseudopodia enclose sperm into endocytic vacuoles. The vacuoles become associated with primary lysosomes in the cytoplasm. Following formation of secondary lysosomes and resulting condensation of the sperm fragments, residual bodies are exocytized into the surrounding connective tissue stroma. By the start of the next breeding cycle, most sperm remaining from the previous mating have been degraded, but some sperm remain in the lumen, and the viability of these sperm is unknown. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: Basement membranes (BMs) of vertebrates and invertebrates have been shown to contain glycoproteins and proteoglycans, which include oligosaccharides and glycosaminoglycans. Lectin binding sites were characterized in the BM of gastrulating embryos of the starfish, Pisaster ochraceus. In early and mid-gastrulae, the fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-lectin conjugates of concanavalin A (Con A) and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) reveal the presence of mannose/glucose and glucosamine/sialic acid residues in the BM of all regions of the embryos. However, in the late gastrula embryo, an apparent reduction of these components is observed over the esophageal BM. Ultrastructural studies using the lectin-gold conjugates Con A, Limax flavus agglutinin (LFA), specific for sialic acid, and Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), specific for galactosamine, demonstrate that most mannose/glucose and galactosamine containing residues lie in the lamina densa, whereas most sialic acid residues are located over the lamina lucida. In addition, a statistical analysis of lectin binding in the late gastrula embryo reveals that the amount of labelling with both Con A and LFA is significantly reduced in the esophageal region, suggesting that mannose/glucose and sialic acid residuces are reduced in this region. These results confirm the observations of the FITC-lectin studies described above. They also confirm earlier studies that demonstrated a difference in BM morphology of the esophageal region (Crawford, '88). Mesenchyme cells, some of which arise from the forming coeloms (Crawford, '90), and which may represent a distinct population, colonize exclusively on this esophageal BM, where they later differentiate into muscle. Quantitative differences in BM glycoconjugates may act to direct the presumptive muscle cells to the region of the esophagus. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: A large sample of embryological material of the North American paddlefish Polyodon spathula (Acipenseriformes: Polyodontidae) confirms that early development in Polyodon is very similar to that reported for the sister group of Polyodontidae, the sturgeons (Acipenseridae). Polyodon illustrates many basic aspects of acipenseriform (and actinopterygian) head development that have not been adequately described. In this paper, we provide an overview of external features of cranial development using scanning electron microscopy. The observations are correlated with staging schemes previously proposed for paddlefishes and other acipenseriforms. Events that occur after the start of neurulation (stage 19) to the start of feeding (stage 46) are emphasized. New information on the structure and folding of the mandibular and hyoid segments permits an understanding of the early development of the pharyngeal region. In addition, we offer new descriptions of the hatching gland, the olfactory organ, the sensory barbel, and the initiation of paddle outgrowth. We also comment on the mode of origin of the hypophysis, and refute the notion that it is derived from the lips of the anterior neuropore as suggested in older literature. This information sets the stage for future comparative and experimental studies of the embryology of basal actinopterygians. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: The presence of seminal receptacula in the female reproductive tract of Opisthopatus cinctipes (Purcell, 1900) has been disputed (Choonoo, '47; Ruhberg, '85; Herzberg et al., '80). However, they do occur and are described here from observations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). No spermatozoa are associated with the surface of the ovary; in contrast the ovary of Peripatopsis capensis is covered with spermatozoa and numerous small rounded cells. The seminal receptacula of O. cinctipes are formed from a loop in the proximal region of the uterus and contain remnants of spermatozoa in their lumens. The epithelial cells lining the seminal receptacula contain numerous vesicles and residual bodies. It is suggested that these cells absorb those spermatozoa not required for fertilization, and that the seminal receptacula in the Peripatopsidae act as short-term storage sites for spermatozoa. By contrast, the seminal receptacula of the Peripatidae are considered to act as long-term storage sites for spermatozoa. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: Scanning and transmission electron microscopy of the antennae of Culicoides impunctatus and Culicoides nubeculosus show that males and females share five sensillum types. Sensilla chaetica resemble mechanoreceptors, each innervated by a single neurone whose dendrite terminates distally in a tubular body: the arrangement of sensilla on male antennae suggests that females are located by sound. The antennae have both sharp- and blunt-tipped sensilla trichodea, sharp-tipped sensilla on only the distal third and blunttipped sensilla on all subsegments. These sensilla are typical of olfactory receptors, having multiporous walls and being innervated by a number of neurones with bifurcating dendrites ascending the hair shafts. Sensilla basiconica occur on the distal five subsegments of the female antenna and the distal three subsegments of the male antenna. Sensilla coeloconica always occur on subsegment one and sometimes on a number of other subsegments, depending on sex and species. Both basiconic and coeloconic sensilla have double walls and unbranched dendrites and may be either olfactory or thermo- and/or hygroreceptors. All antennae except those of male C. impunctatus antennae have sensilla ampullacea, apparently deep-seated olfactory or thermoreceptors. Small peg sensilla fitting the description of contact chemoreceptors occur only at the tip of the male antenna. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: Monoclonal antibody (mAb) WE3 recognizes an antigen that is developmentally expressed in the wound epithelium during adult newt limb regeneration. Experiments were designed to determine whether retinoic acid (RA), dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and administered by intraperitoneal injection, would enhance the temporal appearance of the WE3 antigen. RA given on days 1 or 4 after amputation, when the WE3 antigen is not yet detectable, resulted in moderate reactivity to mAb 2 days after injection and strong reactivity throughout the wound epithelium 4 days after injection. DMSO alone had no enhancing effect. RA also caused limb skin epidermis to exhibit reactivity to mAb WE3, initially near the amputation level, but then also more proximally. By 4 and 6 days after RA injection, epidermis of the flank, eye lid, and unamputated hind limbs also became strongly reactive to mAb WE3. Outer layers of skin epidermis were shed, resulting in an epidermis only one or two cells thick. Epidermis of newts given DMSO alone remained non-reactive to mAb WE3. When RA was given on days 7 and 10 after amputation, when a low level of mAb WE3 reactivity is already present in the wound epithelium, a considerable enhancement of mAb WE3 reactivity occurred through the next few days. No such enhancement was seen with DMSO alone. RA also greatly increased mAb WE3 reactivity in the wound epithelium of denervated limbs, in which case the wound epithelial reactivity to mAb WE3 is normally low. Retinol palmitate also increased mAb WE3 reactivity. The results raise the possibility that the WE3 antigen is a component of most if not all retinoid target tissues in newts. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: The mechanics of the skull of the pigeon are analyzed quantitatively, based on a three-dimensional kinematic computer model that considers the skull as a mechanism (Goodman, '60). The degrees of freedom at each cranial joint are defined and translated into geometric relations, using the method of Elshoud ('80). The model predicts the positions of cranial elements from three input variables: the positions of the upper and lower bills and the length of the M. protractor quadrati et pterygoidei. Simulations with the model suggest the presence of a locking mechanism for the lower bill, which prevents its depression. High speed films of feeding pigeons confirmed that locking can occur at different upper bill positions. The locking mechanism may permit feeding pigeons to use the elastic energy stored in the hinge of the upper bill during the grasp, producing simultaneous fast closing of the upper and lower bills. Simulation of jaw muscle activity suggests that these jaw muscles should not be divided into “openers” and “closers.” © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: Neurons in whole mount preparations of the frontal ganglion (FG) of the cockroach, Periplaneta americana, were mapped with the aid of cobalt chloride staining and silver intensification techniques. Eighty-six neurons were counted in the FG after staining with reduced methylene blue. The cell size ranged between 20 to 35 μm in diameter. Of the somata located in the FG, 44 were found to contribute their fibers to the nervus recurrens, 26 to the right frontal commissure, 28 to the left frontal commissure, and 6 to the nervus connectivus. In addition, a few neurons presumably from the tritocerebral region also contribute their fibers in the formation of nervus connectivus. The present study has helped delineate the neuronal connections of the FG with the brain and neuroendocrine system (corpora cardiaca and corpora allata). This information will be useful in facilitating the positioning of microelectrodes in our future electrophysiological experiments. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: Microcorrosion casts of the renal vascular system of tadpoles of the Clawed Frog, Xenopus laevis, were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Glomerular differentiation was studied qualitatively and quantitatively during developmental stages 56-66 (metamorphic climax). The general structure of the renal vascular system corresponds to the pattern commonly found in anurans; however, the arterial supply has conspicuous connecting vessels that supply groups of glomeruli. In the dorsal part of the kidney, qualitative differentiation of glomerular structures precedes quantitative growth. The ventral part of the kidney has larger, well-developed renal corpuscles of nearly adult appearance. Four developmental stages of glomerulogenesis are distinguished morphologically and their glomerular and vascular growth is analyzed. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: Postembryonic skeletal development of the pipid frog Xenopus laevis is described from cleared-and-stained whole-mount specimens and sectioned material representing Nieuwkoop and Faber developmental Stages 46-65, plus postmetamorphic individuals up to 6 months old. An assessment of variation of skeletogenesis within a single population of larvae and comparison with earlier studies revealed that the timing, but not the sequence, of skeletal development in X. laevis is more variable than previously reported and poorly correlated with the development of external morphology. Examination of chondrocranial development indicates that the rostral cartilages of X. laevis are homologous with the suprarostral cartilages of non-pipoid anurans, and suggests that the peculiar chondrocranium of this taxon is derived from a more generalized pattern typical of non-pipoid frogs. Derived features of skeletal development not previously reported for X. laevis include (1) bipartite formation of the palatoquadrate; (2) precocious formation of the adult mandible; (3) origin of the angulosplenial from two centers of ossification; (4) complete erosion of the orbital cartilage during the later stages of metamorphosis; (5) development of the sphenethmoid as a membrane, rather than an endochondral bone; and (6) a pattern of timing of ossification that more closely coincides with that of the pelobatid frog Spea than that recorded for neobatrachian species. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: The central nervous system of Ixodes scapularis is fused into a single compact synganglion. The esophagus runs through the synganglion and divides it into supraesophageal and subesophageal parts. The supraesophageal portion contains a single protocerebrum with four pairs of glomeruli, paired optic lobes and cheliceral ganglia, and a single stomodeal bridge. The subesophageal portion contains a centrally located network of commissures and connectives, a pair of palpal ganglia, paired olfactory lobes of the first pedal ganglia, four pairs of pedal ganglia, and a single opisthosomal ganglion. A retrocerebral organ complex (ROC) in close vicinity of the digestive tract, as described in some other tick species, apparently is lacking. Perhaps the function of the ROC is performed by the paired, large, ganglion-like bodies that lie anterolaterad to the cheliceral ganglia.The rind, which is formed from the neuronal somata and glial cells, surrounds the central fibrous core or neuropile. Neurosecretory cells (NSC) are distinct among rind cells due to their large size and concentration of cytoplasmic neurosecretions. NSC are present throughout the synganglion, although the subesophageal portion contains larger groups of these cells. Histological serial sections, stained with Meola's (Trans Am Microsc Soc 89:66-71, '70) paraldehyde fuchsin (PAF) procedure revealed 24 PAF-stained, putative neurosecretory regions in the synganglion of virgin, unfed females. All of these regions appear to be connected and associated with the nearest ganglion and are correspondingly named. Eighteen PAF-positive regions occur in the synganglion. In addition, PAF-negative (green-stained) cells occupy 6 distinct regions in the synganglion of unfed, unmated females. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: Female Thamnophis sirtalis were administered intraperitoneal implants of either estradiol 17β (E2), testosterone (T), 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), or empty silastic capsules for 3 weeks. Plasma levels of E2 and T, measured by specific radioimmunoassay, were significantly elevated in E2 and T-implanted females when compared to controls. T-implanted females did not have elevated circulating E2 levels, suggesting that E2 in the plasma normally is not derived from peripheral conversion of T to E2. Implantation of DHT did not significantly change circulating levels of E2, T, or DHT. All three sex steroid - treated groups of animals had increased oviductal mass compared to controls, while hepatic mass of only E2-treated animals was significantly greater. None of the steroid treatments influenced ovarian mass. Oviductal epithelial cell height and area were greater in the three steroid-treated groups. Testosterone increased myometrial area while DHT drastically altered oviductal morphology. Hepatic cell area and number increased significantly in E2-treated females. However, a small increase in both hepatic cell area and number was noted in T- and DHT-treated females as well. These results suggest that androgen in both an aromatizable and non-aromatizable form can affect the oviduct of females but that the liver primarily responds to estrogenic steroids. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: Spermatophores in a squid, Todarodes pacificus, were observed by light and electron microscopy and were further analyzed by X-ray microanalysis (XMA) of frozen thin sections. Each spermatophore consists of a sperm mass, a cement body, an ejaculatory apparatus, and some fluid materials, all of which are covered by an outer tunic. The outer tunic consists of about 20 membranous layers, each containing straight, parallel microgrooves. Each layer's microgroove pattern is roughly in an orthogonal arrangement with respect to the next layer's pattern. The sperm mass, which is the only cellular component, consists of a sperm rope which is coiled more than 500 times. Most of the spermatozoa in the rope are arranged regularly and are enveloped in materials which are well-stained by Alcian blue. The cement body is located between the sperm mass and ejaculatory apparatus and has a hard outer shell with an arrowhead-like structure, presumably for penetration into the tissue of the female. Calcium and phosphorus are present in the shell of the cement body, which also has an affinity for alizarin red. The ejaculatory apparatus consists of two tubes, designated as the inner tunic and the inner membrane.After the spermatophoric reaction, a sperm reservoir is formed at the anterior end of the extruded and inverted ejaculatory apparatus. The sperm reservoir, which encases the sperm mass, is composed of the cement body at the anterior end and the inner tunic of the ejaculatory apparatus at the posterior end.

Notes: Spermiogenesis in the South American leptodactylid frog Odontophrynus cultripes was analyzed ultrastructurally. The spermatids undergo morphological modification while still enclosed in microtubule-rich processes of Sertoli cells. Electron-dense plates resembling junctional structures appear in regions at which the spermatids lie in close contact with the surface of Sertoli cell processes. Spermatid differentiation can be divided into five distinct stages based mainly on chromatin condensation. In the late stages, the densely compacted chromatin loses reactivity to ethanolic phosphotungstic acid (E-PTA). Helical arrangements of microtubules appear in the cytoplasm that surrounds the spermatid nucleus after the second stage. The acrosomal vesicle differentiates into a cone-shaped acrosome that caps the anterior region of the nucleus. The connecting piece, located in the flagellum implantation zone, has transverse striations, and is continuous with the axial rod. The tail is formed by a 9 + 2 axoneme, an undulating membrane, and an axial rod that is rich in basic proteins as demonstrated by E-PTA staining.

Notes: Morphology of the chromaffin cells of Triturus cristatus during a complete annual cycle has been investigated. General ultrastructural characteristics are similar for all chromaffin cells, including numerous small mitochondria, well-developed Golgi apparatus and rough endoplasmic reticulum with short cisternae. The primary difference among cells is the type of the chromaffin granules they posses. These are of two kinds: adrenalin (A) and noradrenalin granules (NA). Both types are simultaneously present in the chromaffin cells but with different ratios during the year. During December-January and May-August, NA granules largely prevail, while in September-November and February-April, A and NA granules are present in about equal quantities. The total quantity of catecholamine granules, however, is relatively constant throughout the year. These findings suggest that T. cristatus has a single type of chromaffin cell, the granule content of which varies according to different functional states. The catecholamines are apparently discharged by exocytosis.

Notes: The palatoquadrate and associated dermal bones have significant evolutionary transformations among teleostomes and provide numerous features that characterize teleostomian subgroups. The palatoquadrate forms the upper part of the mandibular arch and is present as a single cartilaginous element in the early ontogeny of teleostomes, except for some advanced teleosts such as siluroids where it is divided into pars autopalatina and pars pterygoquadrata. During ontogeny, the palatoquadrate may ossify as a unit, with a pars autopalatina (absent in Acanthodii), pars quadrata, and pars metapterygoidea in teleostomes (e.g., primitive acanthodians and actinopterygians, onychodonts, and rhipidistians). However, the palatoquadrate may remain cartilaginous (e.g., chondrosteans) or it may ossify as separate elements (e.g., autopalatine, metapterygoid, and quadrate) as occurs in advanced acanthodians, Polypterus and advanced actinopterygians, and advanced actinistians. From the single-unit pattern, separate autopalatine, metapterygoid, and quadrate evolve in parallel in the three teleostomian subgroups. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish between actinopterygian and actinistian autopalatines and among acanthodian, actinopterygian, and actinistian metapterygoids and quadrates. A palatoquadrate fused with the neurocranium occurs in parallel in dipnoans.There are differences in the timing of ossification of the autopalatine, metapterygoid, and quadrate. The autopalatine ossifies late in ontogeny in Polypterus, Amia, and primitive teleosts (absent in lepisosteids and osteoglossmorphs), whereas both metapterygoid and quadrate ossify early in ontogeny. The early ossification of the autopalatine is characteristic of clupeocephalan teleosts. During ontogeny, tooth plates (not forming a separate dermometapterygoid) fuse with the metapterygoid in actinopterygians.Pars autopalatina, pars metapterygoidea, and pars quadrata are regions at the three corners of the single-unit palatoquadrate present in primitive teleostomes; there are no clear limits among these regions, but they may be identified by their processes, articular facets, and topographical relationships with surrounding bones and the orbit. Autopalatine, metapterygoid, and quadrate are chondral bones, perichondrally ossified. Dermal elements such as dermopalatine(s), entopterygoid, ectopterygoid, and tooth plates may cover the palatoquadrate medially. The predermopalatine that originates in front of pars autopalatina in Cladistia and the “dermopalatine” that lies medial to the ectopterygoid in Ginglymodi are specializations of these groups. A dermopalatine fused with the autopalatine is characteristic of clupeocephalan teleosts. Highly specialized tendon bone pterygoids are found in some teleosts (e.g., siluroids). The presence of both maxilla and lacrimal lateral to the pars autopalatina is synapomorphous of osteichthyans. The eye supported by the bony palatoquadrate is a teleostomian synapomorphy. Dermal elements support the eye in actinopterygians, the entopterygoid in advanced actinopterygians, but the ectopterygoid in lepisosteids.A quadratojugal is a synapomorphy of osteichthyans but exhibits a number of transformations in connection with the vertical pit-line and the preopercular canal; a quadratojugal bearing the vertical pit-line is the primitive condition for osteichthyans. Ontogenetic evidence does not support the homology of the membranous posterior process of the teleostean quadrate with the quadratojugal. The lack of a quadratojugal and the presence of the elongate posterior or posteroventral process of the quadrate is a synapomorphy of teleosts.

Notes: The labial palpus of the elephant louse Haematomyzus elephantis has six sensilla that represent three different types: trichoid, basiconic, and styloconic. Two rows of basiconic sensilla are situated on the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the rostrum, and each row consists of three sensilla. Male and female antennae have 15-17 trichoid sensilla situated on the scape, pedicel, and three antennal annuli. Both sexes have two sensilla basiconica on the dorsal surface of the pedicel near the junction of the scape and pedicel. Two coeloconic (tuft) sensilla are situated on the antennae of both sexes, one sensillum on each of the last two annuli. There are three plate organs, two on the last annulus and one on the penultimate annulus of the male and female antennae. Sexual dimorphism is exhibited in the male and female antennae, in that the male has about twice as many sensilla basiconica on the apex of the last annulus as does the female. The total number of sensilla basiconica on the apex of the male antennae is at least two times the number that is known to be present in any other species of lice. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: Representative functional teeth from Cryptobranchus alleghaniensis (Cryptobranchidae), Amphiuma means (Amphiumidae), Dicamptodon ensatus (Dicamptodontidae), Necturus maculosus (Proteidae), and Dermophis sp. (Costa Rica) (Caeciliidae) were prepared for transmission electron microscope and electron microprobe analysis of the trace elements of the enamel layer. The enamel layer of these species is very thin and the arrangement of enamel crystals variable. In particular, the outer part of the enamel layer in which hydroxyapatite elements (Ca, P) and trace elements (e.g., F, Fe, Mg) are concentrated, is most heavily mineralized. The concentrations and alignment of crystals in the outer and inner parts of the enamel layer differ among these species.The presence of collagen fibers in the inner part of the enamel layer of Cryptobranchus and Dermophis indicates that it is enameloid rather than true enamel. The presence of trace elements may be related to the pattern of mineralization of enamel or enameloid, as suggested for tetra-odontiform fishes by Suga et al. (J. Dent. Res. 68:1115-1123, 1989). © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: A statistical and functional relationship between neural canal anatomy and locomotor mode is demonstrated in living marine mammals of the Order Carnivora. This relationship is interpreted to be the result of differential innervation and territory of musculature involved in generating the six locomotor patterns analyzed. This osteological reflection of a behavioral trait allows prediction of locomotor pattern in extinct genera of closely related taxa. The robust data allow such predictions even when a considerable number of presacral vertebrae are missing in the fossil specimens. In some cases, these predictions conflict with interpretations based solely on limb osteology. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Notes: Embryological study of bullfrog tadpoles collected from various parts of the United States has shown the existence of local races which differ markedly in regard to the time of occurrence and character of the developmental processes involved in the formation of the definitive testis of the male individuals. Those races in which the gonads of the two sexes are easily distinguished in early larval stages are called differentiated. Other local races show a peculiar gonadic development chiefly affecting the males, the definitive testis sometimes not appearing until near the end of the second year of larval life. Such races are called undifferentiated, because the morphological features of the definitive testes are not established until late. The larvae first develop a peculiar gonad (progonad) which later degenerates and is replaced by the definitive testis. All male animals of the undifferentiated strains exhibit the gonad cycle.The progonad varies among the local frog races in regard to the length of persistence and degree of differentiation attained before undergoing degeneration. Its germ cells may exhibit a typical male maturation cycle ending in degeneration, or the cells may differentiate along both male and female lines or remain sexually neutral.The development and differentiation of the progonad in the various races are described and a detailed account given of the origin of the definitive testis. The problems of sex differentiation and continuity of the Keimbahn in anurans are discussed.

Notes: In a leech infesting the Alaskan codfish germinal masses in the ovary proliferate secondary groups, comprising about forty cells in which a follicle and central supporting cell early differentiate. Active division results in approximately 500 cells which apparently develop ductules extending to a point on the surface of the egg. Granules of unknown origin then appear in each nurse cell, and are drawn down the ductules into the egg which can now be distinguished. Reasons are given for the belief that the nutritive material is drained from the nurse cells by amoeboid activity of the egg. In early stages the nutritive mateiral forms a loose reticulum which gradually becomes transformed into a more extensive network, persisting until the maturation divisions. In this latest period the follicle and nurse cells, which become shrunken as the ovum enlarges, usually are stripped off and soon disintegrate.

Notes: The pelvic fins of the ancestors of the Chondrosteoidei possessed a metameric musculature and their skeleton consisted of a large number of metamerically arranged cartilaginous fin-rays, to which were attached osseous lepidotrichia. Evolution has involved the concrescence of separate elements to form the basal cartilage, the proximal end of which forms the girdle of the fin; the loss of a number of the fin-rays, and the atrophy of distal elements of the rays. The adult Chondrosteoidei have retained the primitive fin structure which characterized the elasmobranchs of the Palaeozoic period and which has disappeared in recent forms.

Notes: On the basis of experimental study and observations on the morphology of the legs of spiders, P. Friedrich described a cutting device within the trochanter which would sever that appendage from the body when the leg was stimulated by injury.A reinvestigation of the problem yielded entirely contrary results. Experiments calculated to induce spontaneous amputation through an automatic reflex in the leg were negative on scorpions, harvestmen, and more than a dozen species of spiders. A detailed morphological study of the skeleton and musculature of the arachnid leg showed that no autotomizing device exists, either in the skeleton or in the arrangement of muscles (as is usually supposed). In all species studied, except the scorpion, severance of the leg from the body occurs most readily at some given point. The point at which severance readily occurs is directly correlated with a definite structural weakness in the skeleton and musculature. The spider itself removes an injured leg by grasping the stump with its mouth-parts. No such injured stump falls off spontaneously or without the application of tension. Scorpions do not autotomize appendages under any stimulation, nor do they show any anatomical weakness in the leg skeleton or musculature.Autotomy as an automatic reflex does not exist in the Arachnida.

Notes: Sixteen species of the genus Scyllium are here considered and arranged in groups according to the accessory structures present on the claspers as follows:1Canicula, sufflans, ventriosum.2Catulus, stellare, capense, variegatum (var. pantherinus), umbratile.3Burgerii, hispida, bivium, anale, natalense, edwardsii.4Marmoratum, laticeps.The structure of the wall of the oviduct and vagina is demonstrated, and it is shown that the epithelium of both is at first columnar, then ciliated in immature specimens; at maturity that of the vagina further undergoes by transitions a change to stratified. The walls are highly vascular, but contain no special glands.

Notes: Amoeba responds to a mechanical shock by a cessation of movement which occurs shortly after the application of the stimulus. The length of the reaction time, the period intervening between application of stimulus and the response, varies inversely with the magnitude of the shock. After stopping Amoeba remains quiescent for a short time, and the length of this period of quiescence varies directly with the magnitude of the shock. A certain amount of time must elapse after a reaction before another can be obtained; during this time the animal reverts to the physiological state which existed prior to the first shock.Partial recovery from the effects of a shock is manifested by a reaction time that is longer than after complete recovery, and a period of quiescence which is shorter. A shock which in itself is too slight to cause a cessation of movement may result in the lack of a response to a heavier one which follows immediately after it, although under other conditions the second shock would have called forth a reaction. If the second shock, however, is made sufficiently heavy, it will bring about a response, despite the effects of the first. This is what would be expected if the reactions take place in accordance with the Weber-Foechner law.

Notes: The different kinds of scales characteristic of the adult sturgeon are described and the facts of ontogenesis which throw light on the history of these structures are presented.The scales of Acipenser are exclusively mesenchymatous and therefore are not morphologically comparable with the placoid scales of elasmobranchs. Salensky ('80) drew erroneous conclusions as a result of failure to study the earlier stages of ontogenesis. Goodrich ('03) has correctly described the ontogenesis of the lepidotrichia.The original form of ganoid scale was that of an elongated rhomb with a longitudinal crest on its external surface. The various forms of scales of the adult sturgeon have been produced by the differentiation of such a scale by change in size, shape, and the fusion of the different elements.The conclusions are extended to the entire family of Acipenseridae.

Notes: The lips of the animal are modified in relation to the act of passing seeds into the sac. The cheek-sacs are invaginations of the buccal mucosa, and their development as diverticula of the vestibulum oris is associated with the establishment of extrinsic muscles, derived from the platysma. The sac is invested by a coat of striated muscle. The epithelial lining of the sac attains a degree of complexity comparable to the epidermis of the skin, except that a stratum lucidum and stratum granulosum are not developed. No glands are developed in the mucous membrane of the sac.

Notes: Three groups of pure lines of diverse clones of Didinium nasutum were maintained in isolation cultures for 778, 786, and 457 generations, respectively, without exhibiting any decrease in fission rate or any increase in encystment rate or death rate. These lines were supplied with Paramecium caudatum in such numbers that a surplus of food was present at all times.Three other groups of lines of the same clones were established simultaneously and cultured in parallel with the preceding groups, but the food of each of these lines was limited to nine paramecia per line daily. The fission rate of these lines fell to zero and the encystment rate increased to 100 per cent after 155, 165, and 113 generations of culture, respectively. The death rate increased appreciably in these lines prior to encystment.Other groups of pure lines were cultured on a diet limited to six paramecia per line daily. These lines encysted after approximately fifteen generations of culture.This evidence indicates that there is nothing in the nature of a definite life-cycle in Didinium and that diminished vitality and encystment do not result from the passage of generations, but from inadequate and unfavorable cultural conditions-specifically, from in-sufficient food. It shows further that it is possible to induce cycles with reference to encystment in Didinium by limiting the food supply and to vary the length of the cycles by varying the quantity of food.

Notes: Chlamydoselachus resembles the Holocephali in possessing no siphon, but a cavity in the proximal portion of the clasper. The cartilages, musculature, and venous sinuses of the clasper are considered. An older specimen of Echinorhinus is proved to have a spine on a soft papilla; Scymnus has no spine; both have the general features of the Spinacidae. Two species of Cestracion are compared with C. philippi. Mustelus lunulatus lacks the pera and pseudosiphon of M. vulgaris. Dicerobatis has a peculiar scaphus, and the claspers end in a fimbriated manner. Pteroplatea resembles Trygon and Benthobatis and Astrape are both like Torpedo.The species are listed below.

Notes: The investigation is based upon hemal nodes of dog, man, and sheep. The material can be arranged in a regressive series leading from a typical lymph node, except for the occurrence of blood in parenchyma and sinuses, to a lymphoid structure at a late stage of involution. These structures uniformly lack lymphatics. There is no evidence of direct luminal connection between the blood-vascular supply and the sinuses. The observation that certain cervical and subcutaneous lymph nodes of the rabbit undergo a myeloid metaplasia following atrophy and disjunction of their lymphatics is used as an explanatory key of hemal nodes. According to our view, hemal nodes represent stages in the involution of transient lymph nodes. Disjunction of the lymphatics leaves the sinuses filled with entrapped lymphocytes. These differentiate into erythrocytes. These red blood cells may disintegrate and pass into solution or be removed either by giant cells or mononuclear phagocytes. Late stages in this process are represented by small irregular masses of lymphocytes, with wide sinuses practically free of blood.

Notes: A description is given of the cytoplasmic alterations in the ovarian egg of Limulus polyphemus leading to the formation of yolk. The nucleolus is found to arise by the confluence of substance which passes from the cytosome into the nucleus, and it is suggested that the chondriosomes, and possibly also the dictyosomes, are derived from an excess of this substance which accumulates in the cytosome. Chondriosomes and dictyosomes are not present in the oogonia, but appear first in oocytes after the formation of the nucleolus is completed.During oogenesis the nucleolus is very active and the greater part of its substance is passed back to the cytosome. By the application of the method of Bell and Doisy for the determination of phosphate in body fluids, the nucleolus is found to be richer in phosphorus than are the other constituents of the cell. The nucleolar emissions effect the transport of phosphorus from the nucleus to the cytosome, where it is used in the synthesis of yolk. The definitive yolk arises by the interaction of nucleolar emissions, chondriosomes, dictyosomes, and ground cytoplasm.

Notes: Conjugating individuals of Metopus sigmoides fuse at the anterior end, the pair presenting the appearance of an inverted letter U. The micronucleus of each conjugant by two successive divisions forms four micronuclei. Three of each four degenerate and the fourth by division forms the pronuclei. Cytoplasm and pronuclei from one conjugant pass over into the other, leaving the old macronucleus and a minimum of cytoplasm behind in the shrunken pellicle of the smaller conjugant, which then separates from the larger one. In the larger exconjugant two pronuclei fuse, forming the functional synkaryon; the two residual pronuclei degenerate and disappear. The synkaryon divides. One of the daughter nuclei condenses into the new micronucleus, the other grows into the new macronucleus. The old macronucleus liquefies and is absorbed. The larger exconjugant, after losing its cilia, secretes a cyst wall about itself and becomes dormant. The whole process requires at least six days for its consummation.

Notes: In conjugation fusion occurs along the entire oral surfaces of the proboscides of Dileptus gigas. Two size-reducing divisions occur in rapid succession immediately preceding conjugation. Only one of the many micronuclei takes part in the process of nuclear reorganization. All other chromatic material is massed at this time in the posterior portions of the conjugants. The pronuclei are derived from the single active micronucleus, and interchange occurs immediately preceding the separation of the mating individuals. The fertilization nucleus divides to form two nuclei of diverse size. The smaller one produces thirty-two or sixty-four micronuclei, while the larger one divides to produce a like number of macronuclei, each of which finally breaks up into many chromatic granules which form the numerous densely staining nuclear derivatives which are characteristic of the vegetative stage of Dileptus gigas.In the early stages of this reorganization process specimens are frequently found with from two to eight distinct nuclei often arranged in a series as in a beaded nucleus. This condition probably explains the frequent references in literature regarding such a nuclear condition in Dileptus.Dileptus gigas has, accordingly, in the vegetative stage, a multinucleate condition with reference to the micronucleus and a fragmented or distributed condition with reference to the macronucleus.

Notes: By the use of a satisfactory technique, excellently preserved spermatogenetic tissue was had both for Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus. The careful examination of twelve spermatogonial cells of the former species and of twenty in the latter species shows that R. rattus has forty diploid chromosomes and R. norvegicus, forty-two. A careful examination of the haploid cells of both species, both in the first and in the second spermatocyte divisions, confirms the diploid determinations.Both species have an unequal pair in the spermatogonial divisions and the finding of a similar unequal pair in the first spermatocyte division constitutes the evidence for an X-Y mechanism in each. A comparison of the morphology of the first spermatocyte tetrads in the two species reveals the presence of a large K-shaped chromosome in R. norvegicus which is not present in R. rattus. Furthermore, a comparison of the X-Y complex in both the spermatogonial and first spermatocyte divisions shows that these are morphologically different in the two species, the Y in particular being markedly dissimilar in size. A short discussion as to the bearing of these findings on the questions of the origins of the two species and their known intersterility is presented. The marked similarity of the tetrads of the black rat to those described for the mouse is noted.