ALBERT

Notes: The structure of the living blood cells is described and the cells are classified in the following species of ascidians: Phallusia nigra, Ecteinascidia turbinata, Clavelina oblongata, Symplegma viride. Evidence for the genetio relationship of the various types of cells is discussed.

Notes: The history of the cytoplasmic components in the spermatogenesis of Gerris is, in general, like that which has been described in the Pentatomidae. The observations of fixed material have been checked by extensive studies of freshly teased preparations. During the spermatocyte growth period the chondriosomes undergo considerable increase in mass. During the maturation divisions the chondriosomes are remarkably constant in orientation with respect to the centrioles. The nebenkern arises by fusion of chondriosomes differentiated into chromophilic and chromophobic portions. The Golgi bodies of the earlier spermatocytes are vesicular bodies, the peripheries of which are osmiophilic. These are not visible in fresh preparations, but the masses resulting from their fusion in the late prophase of the first division are visible in the unfixed cells. The non-osmiophilic material inside these masses stains with neutral red in fresh preparations. Only the osmiophilic part of the Golgi masses is involved in the fragmentation to form dictyosomes. There is very suggestive evidence that the process of acrosome synthesis largely takes place inside the sac-like acroblast (Golgi apparatus). In the spermatid, material which stains, in fresh preparations, like the acroblast is never seen, except inside or attached to the acroblast, where it appears in the form of small spheres of ‘pro-acrosomic’ material, which fuse to form the acrosome.

Notes: Haemichromis bimaculata is a tropical teleost fish which will produce eggs practically throughout the year at intervals of from three to four weeks. These eggs are of suitable size and character for embryological study, the features of special interest so far discovered being as follows: (1) The egg is oval; (2) it is attached to a substratum by its side, the blastopore being at one end; (3) the embryo always tends to develop along the side opposite that originally next to the substratum.Results obtained by reorienting the eggs previous to cleavage, and by centrifuging them, seem to show that the relation of the embryonic axis to the egg is determined either previous to laying or very soon afterward, possibly by the relation to the substratum, and is not subsequently affected by gravity or other known factors. There may be some tendency for the first cleavage plane and the sagittal plane of the embryo to coincide, but such coincidence is not at all constant or exact.

Notes: Color changes in Palaemonetes had been found to be inhibited in the whole abdomen by occluding the dorsal abdominal artery. Inasmuch as these chromatic responses are brought about by means of circulating hormones, it should be possible, in view of early anatomical findings, for specific substances to reach the abdomen by way of the ventral abdominal artery which has been described for so many decapod crustaceans. This paper reports a degenerate ventral abdominal artery and a ventral continuation of the dorsal abdominal artery, the latter thus being distributed to practically the entire abdomen and therefore chiefly responsible for abdominal color-change phenomena.A method is given for injecting the arteries of small crustaceans, and the entire arterial system of Palaemonetes is described and figured. Several hitherto unreported vascular structures are noted: a plexus of blood vessels surrounding the supra-oesophageal ganglion, certain branches of the ophthalmic artery leading to the eyes, and various branches of the dorsal abdominal artery in the region of the telson and uropods. The forward flow of blood in the ventral portion of the abdomen in decapod crustaceans is held to be unique.

Notes: Histological changes which occur in the digestive system and its appendages and in the muscular system of the honeybee during metamorphosis are described. Some attention is given to changes which take place in the fat-body, the silk-glands, and the reproductive system. Material of known ages was used. Observations began with the sealing of the larva in its cell and were concluded with the young bee ready to emerge from its cell. Soon after the larva is sealed in its cell, the body tissues begin to undergo a change. Larval epithelial cells lining the midgut are cast into the lumen and they are replaced by cells which proliferate from the imaginal or ‘replacement’ cells. In the fore- and hindgut the lining of the larval cells is replaced by imaginal cells whose points of origin are probably at the anterior and posterior ends, respectively, of the midgut. While the imaginal lining is being formed, the opening from the midgut into the hindgut is closed by a small portion of tissue. A part of the larval muscles are histolyzed and then re-formed from imaginal myoblasts, other larval muscles disappear entirely. The strictly imaginal muscles (e.g., leg muscles) are formed by myoblasts which congregate at the point of muscle formation. There is no evidence of phagocytosis in the honeybee during metamorphosis.

Notes: The growth of chick embryos of heavy and light breeds and the reciprocal crosses between them is described. The embryos of the heavier breed and the hybrids were found to be somewhat heavier than the embryos of the lighter breed from the tenth day of incubation to hatching time. In eggs of the same weight from the two breeds the size difference tends to disappear toward hatching time, probably due to the equivalence of the strictly limited food supply. It is pointed out that the size difference is more probably due to difference in the proportion of cells dividing at a given time than to a difference in duration of mitoses.The mortality of the hybrid embryos was intermediate between that characteristic of the parent breeds, while the percentage of monsters in the hybrids was less than that for either parent breed. There is thus some indication of heterosis.

Notes: Four species of iceryine coccids have been studied cytologically in connection with certain breeding experiments. These are Icerya littoralis, Icerya montserratensis, Echinicerya anomola, and Crypticerya rosae. For the three first-named species the complete chromosomal history has been established, and the evidence on the fourth, Crypticerya rosae, is sufficient to indicate that it differs in no essential respect from the others. The following résumé may, therefore, be considered to apply to all four species. The females are diploid, with a chromosome number of four, and the males are haploid, with a chromosome number of two. Oogenesis proceeds quite normally; two tetrads are formed and two maturation divisions occur in which the chromosomes are reduced to two in each female pronucleus. All eggs undergo this reduction: if the eggs are then fertilized, the diploid number is thus restored and development into females ensues; if the eggs remain unfertilized, whether in the body of a virgin or of a fertilized female, they develop parthenogenetically, with no restoration of diploidy, into haploid males. The spermatogenesis of the haploid males involves a single meiotic division, demonstrably equational in character; the accompanying cytoplasmic division is suppressed, and from each of the binucleate spermatids thus produced two spermatozoa are formed. These conditions are contrasted with the functional hermaphroditism and haploid parthenogenesis of Icerya purchasi.

Notes: This study is based upon a close series of ontogenetic stages from cleavage until after metamorphosis.The so-called primordial germ cells, first differentiated in the lateral mesoderm, are traced to a definitive position in the genital anlagen. Careful counts of these demonstrated that they exist in larger numbers in the younger stages and that few of them ever reach the genital anlagen where they may form a small portion of the propagative cells.Evidence is presented that the majority of the germ cells are of somatic origin. From the earliest appearance of the indifferent gonad certain cells in the germinal epithelium have been observed which were increasing markedly in size and undergoing the various changes necessary in the transformation of small cuboidal or spindle-shaped peritoneal cells with oval nuclei into large germ cells with immense polymorphic or lobate nuclei. These cells are abundant in all older individuals. All the successive stages in the evolution of a somatic cell into a reproductive cell, involving as it does an increase in size, changes in shape, and a new distribution of chromatin material, are demonstrated.

Notes: Certain variations of ciliary activity in the lamellibranch gill occur which are an intrinsic part of the gill tissue and which are due to causes other than environmental changes. Experimental and morphological evidence indicates that the central nervous system is not involved in the production of these variations.A comparative study of laterofrontal and lateral ciliated cells leads to the conclusion that the coordination impulse passes through the cytoplasm of the cell and that the velocity of the propagation wave is influenced by the number of cell walls per unit length through which it passes. It is suggested that the ciliary rootlets in the laterfrontal cells, due to their arrangement bring the impulse simultaneously to both rows of cilia within a single cell.

Notes: An investigation of the spermiogenesis of Succinea ovalis Say, a small terrestrial pulmonate, has revealed: 1) The germ cells are differentiated from indifferent germinal epithelial cells. In this form the germinal epithelium is a true epithelium, and not a syncytium. 2) Forty chromosomes are found in the spermatogonial divisions and twenty in the maturation divisions. 3) Early in spermiogenesis the proximal centriole penetrates through the spermatid nucleus and, with the oxychromatin, forms an intranuclear rod similar to that reported for certain prosobranches. The homology and significance of the rod are discussed. 4) Of the cytoplasmic structures, the mitochondria and the Golgi apparatus were followed through all stages of spermatogenesis. 5) At the maturation divisions the mitochondria are grouped into peculiar. thread-like structures. Some of the mitochondria take part in the formation of the sheath around the axial filament of the spermatozoon, while the remainder are sloughed off with the cytoplasmic remnant. 6) The Golgi apparatus consists of a number of banana-shaped rods closely grouped around the idiosome. Three to five Golgi rods are found in the spermatid stages. A portion of the Golgi apparatus and idisome (acroblast) forms the acrosome, and the Golgi remnant is discarded at the end of spermatogenesis. 7) In mature sperm both head and tail have a spiral structure. The origin and nature of the spirals are pointed out.

Notes: The blood cells of the African lungfish, Protopterus ethiopicus, are very large and resemble those of urodeles. Leucocytes are especially plentiful and rich in variety, including eosinophils, special eosinophils, [meta-eosinophils] with atypical granules, monocytes, thrombocytes, lymphocytes, and basophils.The chief hemocytopoietic organs are the spleen, intestine, and kidneys. The lungfish spleen, embedded in the wall of the stomach, represents an intermediate phylogenetic stage between the disperse intra-enteral type of the hagfish and the compact extra-enteral type of other vertebrates.Erythrocytes are formed in the spleen pulp, granulocytes in the granulocytopoietic organ of the intestine and in the capsules of kidneys, gonads, and spleen. Thrombocytes and monocytes are differentiated in the spleen and general circulation. Basophils arise in the spleen and intestine. Lymphoid cells of all types arise in the spleen. Evidence is presented bearing upon the hemocytopoietic capacity of the various types. Cells with [Russell bodies] also occur in the spleen.In lungfishes subjected to long periods of dry estivation, erythrocytopoiesis practically ceases. Granulocytes, however, appear to play an important rǒle, possibly in fat metabolism. The large variety of meta-eosinophils, a unique feature of the lungfish, appears to be associated with the habit of estivation.Recovery from estivation may show numerous amitoses of erythrocytes in the general circulation. Other cells which divide in this manner are young thrombocytes, granulocytes, monocytes, and lymphoid hemoblasts.

Notes: The acrosome in Desmognathus, Spelerpes, Plethodon, salamander, Amphiuma, etc., is attached to the nucleus in connection with an acrosome seat, which forms a shallow cup, traced back to a number of granules in the early spermatid. A postnuclear plate is present in the above-mentioned urodeles, and is derived from a small number of minute granules which assemble in the spermatid and become fixed onto the nuclear membrane. The centrosomes of the spermatid are visible intravitam. The ‘vacuome’ is formed of minute neutral-red-staining globules embedded in the idiozome. No connection appears to exist between mitochondria and Golgi bodies, as is postulated by the vacuome-chondriome hypothesis (Parat).

Notes: This paper presents a study of the normal histology of the digestive tract of an herbivorous teleost, the minnow Campostoma anomalum (Raflnesque). The tunics of the buccal cavity, pharynx, esophagus, and intestine are described; particular attention is given to the mucosa because of the specializations occurring in that coat, such as taste buds, goblet cells, callous pad, etc. Because of the very decided anatomical and histological differences existing between the anterior and posterior regions of the pharynx, due to the presence of a callous pad and pharyngeal teeth, it has been deemed advisable to consider the pharynx as divisible into an anterior and a posterior region. Thyroid tissue was found in the submucosa of the anterior pharynx. No gastric epithelium was demonstrated, the ‘intestinal bulb,’ the only enlargement of the coelomic portion of the digestive tube, being lined with epithelium presenting only minor differences from that found in the coiled tubular intestine.

Notes: The various stages in the life history of Cryptocotyle lingua are identified and described. Adults naturally occur in the intestine of fish-eating birds and mammals. They were experimentally obtained in the cat, white rat, and guinea-pig. The development of the miracidium was followed within the egg. Larval stages occur in the marine snail, Littorina littorea. The structure of the redia and cercaria is described in detail, and evidence is submitted to show that the cercaria is identical with Cercaria lophocerca Lebour, described from the same snail on the British coast. Penetration and encystment of the cercaria in the skin of the cunner were experimentally secured. Excystment of the metacercaria was obtained both in experimental animals and in vitro. The metacercariae were maintained in culture media for as long a time as is required for them to attain sexual maturity in the final host. The host relations and specificity of the parasite are discussed on the basis of infection experiments. The cercaria is compared with similar larvae and its taxonomic position determined.

Notes: Our observations confirm the recent findings of Krjukowa ('29) on the specific character of the Golgi material in the salivary glands of the Chironomus larva and are therefore in disagreement with the findings of Parat and Painlévé ('24).The Golgi material in the salivary glands of the Chironomus larva is present as discrete bodies having the form of crescents, rings, and rods. These are evenly deposited throughout the gland and show no makred variation in number at different stages of the physiological activity of the gland.The mitochondria are present in the form of filaments frequently concentrated in the area surrounding the nucleus and at the periphery of the cell.Neutral-red staining was never observed to color the Golgi bodies. It is suggested that the neutral-red bodies may represent the secretory material. However, it is clear that, whatever the significance of the neutral-red bodies, they are not Golgi material. Accordingly, this evidence supports the view that the Golgi apparatus, mitochondria, and neutral-red bodies are morphologically distinct structures in the cells of the salivary glands of the Chironomus larva.

Notes: After amputation, the wound is closed by the protrusion and lateral expansion of the alimentary canal over the cut muscles and its final fusion with the epidermis laterally after about twenty-four hours. Associated with the expansion is a divergence of the two adjacent halves of the ventral nerve cord in the last remaining segment. As a result, the whole of the new regenerated lobe behind the ring of the cut epidermis is interneural; i.e., it is an enlargement of the normally small area separating the two nerve cords. Undifferentiated cells, or neuroblasts, are normally located interneurally, and during regeneration these neoblasts proliferate throughout the enlarged interneural zone of the papilla and migrate throughout the lobe. At first the neoblastic mesenchyme filling the lobe is loose and homogeneous, but as the cells settle down against the outer wall they replace the old intestinal cells and assume the characters of new epidermis. Internally, the mass acquires paired cavities, while the cells surrounding the cavities differentiate into muscle, peritoneum, etc. Thus one type of cell gives rise to the whole of the regenerated papilla. These cells are also the mother cells of the gametocytes.

Notes: The chondriosomes of the germinal epithelium are vesicular, whereas the Golgi material takes three forms. The aggregation of chondriosomes about the Golgi cap, located on the nucleus, suggests a chemical interchange between these in the growth period. They become cylindrical as the Golgi cap moves from the nucleus and becomes spherical. It is at this time joined by other Golgi material. The entire aggregation is dispersed previous to the maturation divisions, where the inclusions studied are only approximately equally divided, in contrast to conditions in the true scorpion, Centrurus exilicauda. Golgi granules on chondriosomal surfaces in the spermatid again suggest chemical interchange. The later changes of chondriosome vesicles to discs, and back to spheres, may be means of regulating chemical reaction. A close relation between chondriosomes and Golgi material is indicated by various bodies, of Golgi origin, within the former in the spermatid. A thick thread finally originates from among the chondriosomes of the elongated sperm. Spiral threads surrounding the elongating nucleus arise from reunited Golgi material, a derivative of this substance not previously recorded. The acrosome, also of Golgi origin, undergoes several changes in shape and shows several parts. The elongated nucleus, spiral thread of Golgi origin, acrosome, chondriosomal thread, and unusually long axial filament become coiled and encysted in an oval mature sperm capsule. In the female duct the sperm uncoils.

Notes: The ciliary wave length is a constant in the temperature range of 10° to 30°C. and in Modiolus demissus has the average value of 13.1 μ. Comparison of these data for ciliary coordination with those of nerve conduction probably indicates that the two physiological processes possess certain properties in common. The cells which bear the cilia are 12.75 μ long and the variation in ciliary wave length and cell length is about the same, which may indicate a possible cytophysiological relationship between the two.

Notes: During oogenesis granular mitochondria become concentrated in the proximal portion of the oocyte and remain concentrated in the line of cells that gives rise to the germ cells. Two cells of characteristic structure, appearing at gastrulation one on either side in the mesoderm, contain this mitochondrial cloud. All functional germ cells seem to be lineal descendants of these two primordial germ cells. The cloud disappears during gonad formation, but reappears in oocytes of the next generation. Except during meiosis and fertilization the germ-cell cycle is traceable from fertilized egg to sexual maturity. Details of meiosis and chromosome number were not ascertained.Capacity for producing germ cells in Sphaerium is traceable from a definite region in the egg to primordial germ cells through a localized cloud of mitochondria in the mature ovum and certain cells of cleavage stages. Mitochondria, therefore, serve as a Keimbahn determinant in the sense that they mark a region of oocyte cytoplasm destined for cytoplasm of primordial germ cells. They are not considered causal factors in production of germ cells, but are probably storage products persisting unused in the egg and in cleavage cells having lower metabolic rates. Disappearance of these mitochondria during gonad formation is explained by their dispersal among a number of cells and by their utilization in furnishing energy and material for production of new cells.

Notes: A cyst of tetraploid first spermatocyte metaphases is described in the coreid hemipter Archimerus alternatus (Say), all other divisions in the testis being of normal diploid constitution. The striking fact is that in spite of the doubling of their number the chromosomes closely follow the group pattern characteristic of the corresponding normal divisions. In the latter the first metaphase always shows a ring of six autosome bivalents with a single m-chromosome bivalent at its center and a single univalent X-chromosome lying outside the ring (as in coreids generally). In corresponding tetraploids the numbers are respectively 12, 2, and 2. Three additional interesting features of the tetraploids are: 1) the fact that the two m-bivalents are always lined up end to end to form an axial quadrivalent chain; 2) that although two X-chromosomes are present (as in the normal female), they are never united to form a bivalent as in that sex; and, 3) that in the prophases (of which a few are present in the cyst), at least one pycnotic X, or chromosome nucleolus, is present.A critical discussion is offered of the general problem of the mechanism of chromosome movements and groupings, together with a review of recent literature. The conclusion is urged that the chromosomes themselves play an active and important part in these processes, and the possible genetic relations between chromosomes and spindle substance are discussed.

Notes: By statistical analysis and microscopical examination of a series of monthly quantitative collections, an attempt has been made to interpret the life history and reproductive habits of Sphaerium solidulum, one of the numerous species of the genus Sphaerium.Individuals of the species under observation have a distinctly limited life span of approximately one year. The period of maximum reproduction of this species does not occur in the summer months, as previously believed, but in the winter months. Seasonal growth rings are not present on this shell, although concentric lines are characteristic. No individuals of maximum size were present during the months from August to February. Maximum-size adults are apparently sterile. The analysis of distribution curves of each quantitative sample indicates two size groups in each collection as shown by the bimodal character of each graph. Distribution curves of embryos feature the bimodal character of the young and adult. The conclusions are founded on data secured from twelve monthly collections made from the same habitat totaling 7022 individuals.

Notes: Although the egg of Amphioxus is much more fluid and less stereotyped than that of Ascidians, the poles, axes, and localizations of formative materials are much the same in the two. The spermatozoon enters near the vegetative pole and a peripheral layer of granular cytoplasm flows to this pole and later forms a crescent around the posterior side parallel to the first cleavage amphiaster; this is the mesodermal crescent. On the anterior side a similar area later gives rise to the chorda-neural crescent. Above these crescents is the ectodermal area, below them the endodermal area. The early cleavages divide these crescents and areas just as in Ascidians. The coeloblastula is at first spherical, but later flattens in the region of the mesodermal crescent; this flattening extends forward on the vegetative side to the chorda-neural crescent, where the invagination is sharpest. The blastopore is at first triangular in outline, the dorsal lip being formed by the chorda-neural crescent and the lateral lips by the mesodermal crescent. Later the chorda and the mesodermal crescents are infolded, the lateral lips fuse to form the ventral lip which grows dorsalward, the blastopore becomes wider from right to left than dorsoventrally, the gastrula elongates and in the angles between dorsal and ventral lips the mesodermal crescent forms the mesodermal grooves in the lateral walls of the gastrocoel.

Notes: What appears to be a variety of Macrostomum tuba has been described in this paper. There is but a single retinula in each eye. This visual cell displays three regions: rhabdome, ellipsoid, and myoid, as does a vertebrate's retinula. Moreover, the accessory pigment associated with the retinula of M. tuba is applied to the rhabdome and not to the ellipsoid and myoid; this likewise is similar to the distribution of the pigment about the vertebrate's retinula. An analogy, therefore, may be drawn between the visual cell of the rhabdocoele and that of the vertebrate. This is so strong as to suggest homology. Several features peculiar to this variety are: first, the chitinous, distal ring of the penis; second, the fact that shell and yolk droplets seem to be elaborated by each cell destined to become an oocyte.

Notes: By means of the ‘intravitam technic’ developed by Baumgartner and Payne (1931), the mature or maturing sperm of Chortophaga viridifasciata have been traced from the follicle of the testes in the male to the locus of fertilization in the female. The sperm aggregated into bundles, and held tight by a hyaline cytoplasmic cap, spiral up the follicle, turn and spiral back to the vas deferens by means of a periodic lashing and writhing of the sperm tails.The genital tract is described briefly. In the vasa deferentia and storage tubules, the sperm bundles are usually in a quiescent state, having been inactivated most probably by secretions from the tubules.Peristalsis and currents in the fluid contents of the tubules move the inactivated sperm from the vesicles of the male to the seminal receptacle of the female, where the cytoplasmic caps gradually disintegrate. This permits individual sperm to pass down the seminal duct and fertilize the ovum just before oviposition.Single photomicrographs and a series of photomicrographs show the sperm in various parts of the genital system and making actual progress up a follicle. A stained preparation was used for only one of the photos. The other nineteen are from living unstained tissue. The intravitam observations are, most probably, more ‘vital’ than any heretofore recorded.

Notes: This paper describes ultraviolet (λ = 2750 A) photomicrographs of resting and dividing chicken macrophages and fibroblasts and of erythrocytes and lymphocytes. The structures found in these photographs are compared with the ones brought out in fixed material by Feulgen staining and found to be essentially similar in appearance. A preliminary series of ultraviolet pictures is also shown of a single fibroblast passing through several of its stages of division.

Notes: A simply constructed apparatus, which includes a cinema camera, is described for the recording of ciliary movements. From data for Modiolus demissus obtained by this method, it is concluded that the coordinating impulse is a propagated impulse which regulates the temporal and spatial relationships of ciliary contractility, that this impulse has to a certain degree a determinant effect upon ciliary inhibitory influences so that the area rendered inactive is a multiple of the ciliary wave length, that the coordinating impulse is transmissible through cells bearing quiescent cilia, and that it may act as a stimulus of sufficient strength actually to cause quiescent cilia to become active.

Notes: Reviews the question of the origin of the midgut of insects with its diverse appearances and interpretations. Without doubt the midgut epithelium in some insects is derived from the lower layer, but in other insects from the tips of the stomodaeal and proctodaeal invaginations. The question of its origin seems to be “a function of the position within the whole,” and best understood from a standpoint of the time of determination of the parts involved. Maps illustrating the prospective significances of the principal types are included and discussed.

Notes: More than 3700 individuals of Viviparus contectoides from the Illinois River, near Peoria, Illinois, and from the Erie Canal in central New York, have been the subject of statistical and biological analysis as periodic quantitative samples to secure information on the life cycle. Sexes are easily distinguished through tentacular differences. Shells show marked sex dimorphism of size. Males reach a maximum height of 25 mm.; females may exceed 40 mm. Distribution curves, checked by experimental data on another species of the same genus, give evidence that males live normally about one year, while females may live three years. Differences in sex ratio are attributable to differences in life span and to changes in environmental factors producing aggregations of members of one sex.In central New York, the parturition period seems to begin to March and terminates in June. In central Illinois it extends from February into May. The uterus of a gravid female contains eggs, embryos, and shelled young in a graded series. At birth, the young shell contains one and one-half whorls and has a height of approximately 3.8 mm. Color bands are present on the shell three months before birth. Initial growth rate is extremely rapid. In less than three months the largest of the new generation are as large as the smallest of the parent generation. Graphs given show seasonal changes in the population.

Notes: This paper describes the development of the prechordal plate and mesoderm of Amblystoma punctatum from the late yolk-plug stage to the stage of about nineteen somites.In the earliest stage described the prechordal plate is embedded in the roof of the archenteron and flanked on both sides by prechordal mesoderm with which it is fused. The characteristics and limits of the prechordal plate and mesoderm are discussed and the fate of both traced. It is demonstrated that the mesodermal cores of the mandibular arches are probably largely derived from the prechordal mesoderm which flanks the prechordal plate. The prechordal plate is later separated out of the roof of the foregut in a caudocephalic direction, giving rise to a median mass of mesoderm which expands laterally independently of the mandibular portions of the prechordal mesoderm to give rise to head mesenchyme lying largely anterior to the level of the hyoid arch. The expansion of this mesoderm is followed in some detail.The boundary between prechordal and notochordal regions is placed at approximately the boundary between the mandibular and hyoid arches.The question of the interpretation of the prechordal region is briefly discussed.

Notes: This investigation was undertaken to determine some of the variables involved in the demonstration of the Golgi elements. Gland cells of vertebrates were studied vitally, after impregnation by osmic acid methods, and after autolysis.The duration of the staining period and the concentration of the stain condition the results obtained by vital staining with neutral red. The success of impregnation of Golgi elements with osmic acid varies with,(1) the type of tissue, (2) the time of initial fixation in relation to the time of the death of the animal, (3) the position of the cell in the piece of tissue, and, (4) the temperature of incubation with osmic acid. Stages in the impregnation of Golgi elements can be followed by examining preparations of the same tissue at frequent intervals during the incubation period. An increase in the amount of material which reduces osmic acid and which may form Golgi elements occurs in the cells during autolysis.The results are interpreted as indicating that Golgi elements are visible products of chemical reactions that occur in cells. They represent localized regions containing particular classes of chemical compounds which may be present, as such, in living cells or result from transformations in the cells during incubation. It is suggested that for the cells under consideration these substances may be unsaturated fatty acids.

Notes: The m. trapezius, with both brachial and branchial functions, is in seeming series with the mm. interarcuales laterales. The intrinsic muscles of the fin occur as a dorsal extensor sheet and three (or four) ventral flexor components. The spinal nerves, uncomplicated by extensive anastomoses, which supply the fin, clearly show that in the dogfish the fin muscles are derived not from dorsal and ventral elements, but from anterior and posterior, or protractor and retractor elements. The nerves prove that from the original protractor musculature only the anterior portion of the present flexor group is derived, while the original retractor musculature has become all of the extensor and the posterior part of the flexor series. Faradic stimulation of the live animal is satisfactory, although there is much variation in the sensitivity, particularly of different muscles.

Notes: The mitochondria in the male germ cells of Sciara exhibit peculiarities as regards both morphological characteristics and distribution. In form. they show superficial similarity with those of some of the scorpions, while their distribution may be peculiar to the genus and depend on unusual meiotic divisions.

Notes: A description of the urogenital system in both sexes of Lepidosteus platystomus Rafinesque, and new observations on the blood supply to this system as well as to the rest of the viscera is given.The testes resemble the true piscine type. The sperm are carried by numerous vasa efferentia to the kidney tubules, through the mesonephros to the wolffian duct, and to the exterior as in the elasmobranchs and amphibians. The most anterior of the vasa efferentia are non-functional. The ovaries are simple sac-like structures continuous with their ducts. The oviducts transverse the ventro-lateral surface of the mesonephros, and enter into the dilated portions of the wolffian ducts, where they join, directly anterior to the urogenital aperture. There are no ducts in the male homologous with the oviducts of the female. The kidneys fused posteriorly, appear to extend the entire length of the body cavity, but the anterior third is non-urinary.By injection methods, the celiaco-mesenteric artery is shown to be crowded to the posterior end of the body cavity by the complicated swim-bladder, and runs anteriorly to supply the entire viscera. Its anterior portion is incorporated in the liver.

Notes: This article is an account of the complete musculature of an adult Neuropteran insect, Chrysopa plorabunda. Previous anatomical discussions on this order of insects include only a few of the muscles of the head and thoracic regions, while those of the abdomen are entirely lacking. The muscles here described include those of the head, thorax, and abdomen. The origin, insertion, and function of each muscle is given. The boundaries of several of the sclerites, especially those of the labium, are located by the observations on the musculature of these parts. The meso- and metathoracic wings are of the same size and for that reason the muscles of these regions are very much alike. The prothorax is greatly elonated, causing the muscles of that region to differ to a greater or less degree from the ‘general rule’ in insects. The abdominal muscles may be arranged in the several groups generally found in insects. In several cases, however, both the origin and insertion of the muscle have been shifted to accompany changes which have taken place in the abdominal segmentation. All of the muscles are shown in the four plates containing nineteen figures which accompany the text.

Notes: Photomicrographs have been made of grasshopper spermatocytes using ultraviolet light of several wave lengths. For studying chromosomes this wave length should be between ca 2800 A and ca 2500 A. With higher frequencies the entire cell becomes strongly absorbing and relatively little detail is to be seen. All cell structures, including the chromosomes, are as transparent to λ = 3500 A and to longer ultraviolet waves as they are to visible light. The present experiments do not indicate the exact point between λ = 3500 A and λ = 2800 A at which the selective chromatin absorption commences.

Notes: This investigation consists of an extensive histological study of a special strain of abnormal x-rayed mice, in an attempt to determine the embryonic origin and development of certain congenital abnormalities that are hereditary.The study shows that development of the x-rayed strain is normal up to the thirteenth day after insemination, after which pathological structures appear in the form of blebs, hematomas, and thrombi. As a result of the formation of the blebs and hematomas a general condition is set up within the embryo which resembles that of thrombosis. The thrombi when formed exert a mechanical effect by crowding out the normal tissue. A chemical effect is also produced by the blood cells and fluid extravasated from the thrombus which penetrate into the forming tissues resulting in their perverted development. Thus the thrombi are the immediate factors causing the various regions of the body to be deformed.

Notes: The Goodeidae are a family of cyprinodonts containing about nine genera and twenty-six species. They are confined exclusively to the Mexican Plateau and to streams in the immediate vicinity. All are viviparous. Fertilization is internal. The eggs are extremely small and contain very little yolk. The embryos are retained in the ovarian follicles until the yolk is practically absorbed, in the meantime developing unique absorptive organs in the form of extensive ribbon-shaped proctodaeal processes. The embryos are evacuated into the intra-ovarian cavity where they are retained for several weeks, during which time the proctodaeal processes become extended. The ovary becomes a nutritive organ and produces secretions which are discharged into the intra-ovarian cavity and absorbed by the embryo through their unique processes. The processes differ in form, number, and histological structure, but are specific in their peculiarities for each species. These specific differences, together with marked differences in the ovary, will furnish a basis for a re-classification of the genera and species of the family. A comparison in made between this family and the other ovo-viviparous and viviparous cyprinodonts, on the basis of which it is concluded that the Goodeidae have arisen separately from an ovo-viviparous ancestor, which in turn was derived from an ovo-viviparous type. A comparison is also made between the peculiarities of reproduction in this family and those of other viviparous teleosts.

Notes: Lead poisoning causes a selective destruction of mature erythrocytes, thereby depleting the spleen and stimulating differentiation and proliferation of erythrocytes in the blood. In conjunction with splenectomy, this intravascular erythropoiesis is markedly accelerated.During the progressive anemia and subsequent regeneration of erythrocytes in simple lead poisoning the major hemopoietic loci, spleen, mesonephros, liver, and epicardium were observed. The spleen is most rapidly affected. The red cell progenitor first present in the circulation is the hemoblast, but later numerous lymphocytes enter the blood stream and are transformed into erythrocytes.Following simple splenectomy the blood shows relatively little change. A mild regenerative activity of both erythrocytes and thrombocytes ensues. In lead poisoning after splenectomy the blood picture resembles that of simple lead poisoning. The anemia is produced more rapidly and the regeneration of erythrocytes is delayed.This study emphasizes the importance of the blood stream of Necturus as a site of red cell differentiation and proliferation, and shows that the lymphocyte may be a possible progenitor of erythrocytes and thrombocytes. Under normal conditions the hemoblast suffices as a source for red cells, but under abnormal or experimental conditions, where the demand for new cells is excessive and prolonged, the lymphocyte plays a major role.

Notes: Each indifferent genital rudiment in the grasshopper embryo is composed of the following: (1) a terminal filament membrane; (2) an epithelial plate of indifferent cells, the dorsal cell mass; (3) the central cell mass containing germ and indifferent cells; (4) the ventral cell strand, and, (5) a delicate, investing membrane, the outer limiting membrane. It is roughly spindle-shaped in transverse section and extends from the first to the eighth abdominal segments.In the sexual differentiation of the genital rudiment the dorsal cell mass is retained as a definite embryonic rudiment in the female, but becomes an indistinguishable part of the central cell mass in the male.Ovarian development is initiated in the dorsal cell mass area, where cell aggregations are formed. Each aggregation is ultimately surrounded by the ingrowing outer limiting membrane to form distinct cellular columns. A latero-ventrad extension of this ingrowing process into the central cell mass continues the column formation process into the latter and results in the formation of a distally tapering structure composed of indifferent cells distad and germ cells and indifferent cells proximad. This structure constitutes the rudimentary ovariole which finally differentiates to form the terminal filament, germarium, and vitellarium.The ovarian portion of the oviduct and the tubular connection between the ovariole and oviduct are differentiated from the ventral cell strand.

Notes: This paper describes the cellular relations between the prechordal mesoderm and the hypophyseal analage in duck embryos from the first to the eighth day of incubation.At nineteen somites the ectoderm destined to form hypophysis is seen as a plate of cells lying under the mesodermal mass anterior to the notochord. It extends anteriorly in intimate contact with the base of the forebrain, and posteriorly for about the same distance to the oral membrane. Following the lateral growth of the prechordal mesoderm and the rapid overgrowth of the forebrain, Rathke's pouch is definitely outlined. The upward expansion of the pouch, concomitant with the lagging of some of the prechordal mesoderm in the midline, effects a very close relation between these cells and those at the tip of the pouch. With the lateral expansion of the premandibular head cavities, some of the mesoderm adheres to walls of Rathke's pouch in the form of rods or knobs. As development proceeds the inherent growth tendencies of ectoderm and mesoderm express themselves differently and the rods or knobs become constricted off from the pouch, forming in its vicinity vesicles which exhibit a definite lumen.The question of an entodermal contribution to the hypophysis in this form is briefly considered.

Notes: By treating the clean skeletal tissue of an insect with concentrated KOH at 160° C., the contained chitin is converted to chitosan, and all pigmentation and admixtures are removed. The per cent distribution of chitin, expressed as chitosan, in the exoskeleton of the cockroach, Periplaneta fuliginosa, ranges from 37.65 in the dorsal abdomen to 18.22 in the hindwings. Other regions contain the following per cents: ventral abdomen, 37.11; metathoracic legs, 35.55; mesothoracic legs, 33.28; prothoracic legs, 32.24; pronotum, 31.55; head, 31.07; genitalia, 29.28; dorsal thorax, 29.07; ventral thorax, 28.33; antennae, 27.77; cerci, 25.65; and forewings, 19.99. Regional variations are constant in different individuals of the same species. The crop and gizzard contain 18.69 per cent; the hindgut, 18.15 per cent. The remainder of the alimentary tract contains no chitin. Traces of chitin are found in the trachea. No chitin is found in the egg-cases of this species. No correlation between chitin content and pigmentation or hardness is shown. Based on results from three trials, using thirty insects, the per cent of chitosan in the clean, dry chitinous material from the entire animal is 29.60; the per cent of chitosan based on the weight of the live animal averages 2.01.

Notes: The fundamental structure of the brain stem is uniform throughout the vertebrate series, not essentially because it expresses an architypical pattern, but because of the constancy of peripheral connections and their internal relationships, both of which are parts of an apparatus of adjustment to environment which is common to vertebrates. Other parts of the brain are more variable because, with complication of the behavior pattern in higher forms, more elaborate and diversified mechanisms of correlation and integration are requisite.The brain stem between the olfactory bulb and other primary sensory centers is plastic tissue not dominated by any single sensory-motor system; it is the meeting place of descending and ascending sensory paths. Here the chief apparatus of correlation and integration is elaborated. From it emerge the complex thalamic and cortical adjustors. The pallium is not a primary constituent of the vertebrate brain. The pallial type of organization gradually emerged from the more ancient subpallial type and comes to mature expression in the cerebral cortex. Several instructive stages in the progressive differentiation of cortical structure and connections are seen in the amphibian forebrain, but the process is not consummated. Amphibia have no cerebral cortex, though cortical primordia are evident here and in various fishes. Static concepts of architypes and the dialectic of ‘form-analytic’ argumentation are replaced by a more dynamic treatment of morphogenesis.

Notes: From a mating of first-cousins, of whom the female had cataract, there issued in four generations a progeny of 138 individuals, 33 of whom had cataract (23.8 per cent). Discounting the last generation, about which little is known, also discounting other unknown members, there were 29 known unaffected, 30 known affected, i.e., 50.8 per cent had cataract. The pedigree by generations shows that cataract is inherited as an autosomal (Mendelian) dominant. However, the mode of inheritance is atypical in that the defective gene for cataract may be borne, and is so borne because transmitted, without producing in the bearer its characteristic defect. In the second generation there were four of a family of nine with cataract; of the five without cataract two produced cataractous offspring and three did not marry. The literature is replete with pedigrees in which cataract is inherited as a typical autosomal dominant; there are a few pedigrees (four are reproduced) in which the mode of inheritance, while distinctly that of an autosomal dominant, resembles the present pedigree in being atypical. It is concluded that cataract is inherited as an autosomal dominant, but that in some cases it is produced only under certain conditions. These conditions are as yet not definitely known. Clinical writers seem to favor the view that nutritional and endocrine disturbances predispose to the realization of the defect.

Notes: A histological study of Hammond's simple recessive ‘furless’ rabbits was made from many series of sections taken from the skin of both the normal and furless rabbits of several pertinent ages.It was found that the external absence of under-hair or fur exists because of a failure of the hairs of these follicles to erupt. This failure is due to a premature keratinization which first affects the sebaceous glands and then the inner epithelial sheath. The resulting abnormal channel allows an erratic escape, especially of the regenerating hair above the incomplete inner sheath into the surrounding connective tissue, where the escaped part of the hair atrophies. The final condition shows an inflammatory reaction in the areolar tissue here. There is no check on the growth from the bulb of the root. Other elements of the skin verify this excessive keratinization.The cause of the abnormal metabolic changes conceivably lies in an inadequate tissue supply of oxygen or nutrition. The regulator may be the sympathetic system directly or indirectly (by hormone action), or it may be an inhibitor resident in the integument itself.

Notes: The anatomical isolation of the auricles from the ventricle in hearts of fresh-water mussels representing nine North American species has been confirmed. The muscle fibers in these hearts without exceptions were found to be of the smooth, unstriated type. Bundles of these fibers loosely interwoven, form the thin, delicate, heart wall, which contains many sinus-like spaces. The outside portion of the heart wall exposed to the pericardial fluid is covered with a definite epicardium composed of a single, dense layer of epithelial and scattering mucous cells. The inside of the heart cavity has no endocardium, the muscle fibers being in direct contact with the blood. No special conduction tissue, nerves or ganglia were found in the heart wall. Correlations of these anatomical and histological findings with the physiological reactions of the living heart in situ are made, and the mechanical and chemical control of the heart discussed.

Notes: The purpose of this study was to learn something of the nature of the bead-like bodies which occur in the head of the sperm of the fowl since it was found in a previous study that they are apparently affected in a characteristic manner by vitamin E deficiency.Staining tests indicate that these bodies are composed of fats and fatty acids since they respond to osmic acid and Nile blue sulphate. They are also impregnated with silver nitrate and hence may be associated with the so-called Golgi materials of the cell.The beads first appear as a complete single row but subsequently they undergo fragmentation and redistribution. The whole process is probably a final transitory step in sperm transformation.The presence of this fatty material may signify that the sperm of the fowl, in contrast to that of most other animals, carries a store of food material to support its activity after liberation. The sperm may also be the carrier of a definite amount of vitamin E. Furthermore, the presence of this material may offer an explanation of the high resistance of the testis of the fowl to vitamin E deficiency because, since this vitamin is fat soluble, the testis as a whole would probably receive a disproportionately large share of the vitamin E stores of the individual.

Notes: In sections from livers injected through the vascular system with Carter's carminegelatin or Berlin-blue gelatin masses at known, constant pressures, many cells were observed to contain ovoid or spherical bodies of the colored injection masses, similar to those described by Schäfer and his students, Herring and Simpson, as intracellular blood canaliculi.' In these livers practically all the cells were vacuolated. However, with livers injected with Berlin-blue gelatin mass dissolved in Locke's solution instead of distilled water, there were no intracellular masses and the cells appeared normal, though the sinusoids were completely filled with injection mass. The so-called ‘intracellular blood canaliculi’ described by Schäfer are interpreted as artefacts produced by a combination of factors, the most important of which is the difference in osmotic pressure. This is produced by the hypotonicity of the injection masses that are usually used, augmented perhaps by the effect of mechanical pressure used in administering the injection mass.Following impregnation of liver tissue by Golgi's rapid method, the usual network of intercellular bile canaliculi was revealed, but the presence of a permanent system of intracellular canaliculi was not observed. A few short, knobbed intracellular projections from the intercellular bile canaliculi were noticed; these probably represent the passage of secretion material into the intercellular bile canaliculi at the moment of excretion.

Notes: The early developmental history of Sciuridae (squirrel family), from the ovarian egg to the establishment of the germ layers, was studied in fixed material comprising ova and embryos from six species of five genera. No significant differences were noted in the major processes of development in the six species. Continuous diminution in the size of the ova occurs from the beginning of follicular vesiculation up to the early blastocyst stages. Corpora haemorrhagica are present in most of the recently ruptured follicles of all the species.Cleavage is regular, though adequal, up to the eight-cell stage, the blastomeres clustering into a compact mass. There is desquamation of cellular material from the periphery of the ovum between morula and blastocyst stages. At the same time cells within the blastocyst degenerate to add to the cavity originally formed by confluence of intercellular spaces. The cavity forms among the inner cells, an inner cell mass being left at one pole and an anti-embryonic mass at the other. The anti-embryonic cells produce much of the yolk-sac entoderm and contribute to the implantation mass. The latter mass forms a temporary attachment of the blastocyst to the uterine mucosa in these species. The definitive entoderm arises by migration and delamination of certain of the inner cell mass cells. A transitory notochordal canal, passing in a vertical plane through Hensen's node, is strongly suggested.

Notes: The arterial system of Ptyas mucosus (Linn.) reveals the following interesting features: (1) A prominent diverticulum given off from the inner antero-dorsal edge of the left auricle. (2) Ridge-like continuation of the median hanging valve of the sinus venosus lining the ventral edge of the opening of the right precaval vein. (3) Guarding of the opening of the pulmonary vein by a portion of the inter-auricular septum abutting against it. (4) Presence of two longitudinal trunks on either side of the hepatic portal vein formed by the hepatic branches of the hepato-oesophageal arteries, which, uniting with one another, form a peculiar arrangement looking almost like a looped chain. (5) A complete arterial circuit in the female formed by the combination of the genital, supra-renal, and the anterior-most renal arteries of either side. (6) Chain-like arrangement formed by the alternate bifurcation and union of the posterior-most part of the longitudinal fat-body artery and also by its lateral branches, which unite with it here and there after giving off twigs to the fat bodies. (7) A pair of small arteries (or in some cases only one) called ‘arteria complexa’ which take their origin from the dorsal aorta opposite the openings of the iliac veins into the afferent renals.

Notes: An investigation has been conducted to ascertain the relationship of certain structures in the embryo of the grasshopper known as Melanoplus differentialis with reproductive organs in the adult male.The order of development of these structures was traced through the entire life history.It was determined that they are the rudiments of certain reproductive organs and that the knowledge obtained serves as an aid in more accurately classifying insects.

Notes: During postnatal development of the pigeon, a large portion of the skeleton becomes pneumatized, displacing the hemopoietic bone marrow. The consequences of pneumatization on distribution and quantity of bone marrow as well as the availability of other sites for hemopoiesis have been investigated. Hemopoietic marrow of differently aged pigeons divided into five groups from 1 week posthatching (p.h.) up to 6 months p.h. was labeled with Fe-59 and examined by serial whole-body sections. Autoradiography and morphometry as well as scintillation counts of single bones and organs were also carried out. No sign of a reactivation of embryonic sites of erythropoiesis was found. Bone marrow weight and its proportion of whole-body weight increased during the first 4 weeks p.h. from 0.54% to 2.44% and decreased in the following months to about 1.0%. The developing bone marrow showed a progressive distribution during the first months of life, eventually being distributed proportionally over the entire skeleton, except for the skull. At the age of 6 months p.h. bone marrow had been displaced, its volume decreasing in correlation to increasing pneumaticity and conversion to fatty marrow. This generates the characteristic pattern of bone marrow distribution in adult pigeons, which shows hemopoietic bone marrow in ulna, radius, femur, tibiotarsus, scapula, furcula, and the caudal vertebrae.

Notes: Artificially incubated fertile eggs from wild alligators have a significantly better hatch rate than those of captive, pen-reared alligators, possibly due to differences in the morphology of the eggshells. We compared the morphology of eggshells of wild alligators to those of captive alligators living in semi-natural environmental pens. Lengths and widths of eggs were measured and volume was determined, assuming an ellipsoid shape. Eggs were also evaluated for the quality of the eggshell (the presence or absence of rough deposits). Pieces of shell were cut from unincubated eggs and from eggs incubated for 55 days (just before hatching) and examined by scanning electron microscopy. Open pores on the outer surface of the shells were counted and thickness of the pieces was measured from micrographs. Results indicated that the number of pores on eggshells was lowest in eggs of captive alligators with early embryonic death. The number of pores was intermediate in eggs with early embryonic death from wild alligators, and the number of pores was highest in eggs with full-term embryos from wild or captive alligators. It is suggested that decreased porosity of eggshells may be associated with early embryonic death, is more prevalent in captive animals, and may, therefore, be related to poor hatch rate among penreared alligators.

Notes: Adult hornets (Vespa orientalis; Hymenoptera, Vespinae) build the brood combs out of organic or mineral matter. The cement that serves to glue the building material together is secreted in their saliva, the latter hardening within seconds to form fibers or plates. This saliva-derived spittle overlies and unites the building particles laminally and vertically. The hornet larvae spin a cocoon within the brood cells, which is largely fastened to and supported by the cell walls and is composed of a network of silk fibers and interlinking flat surfaces. On the outside of the cocoon fibers are spherical button-like structures that are very rich in phosphorus. The chemical composition of the adult salivary cement and the larval cocoon fibers is similar: both contain the elements P, Mg, S, Cl, K, and Ca. The possible biological significance of these findings is discussed.Among social insects belonging to the Hymenoptera, there are three main groups that build a multitude of cells, namely, the paper wasps (Polistinae), the other social wasps or hornets (Vespinae), and the social bees (Apinae). The constructed cells serve mainly for rearing the brood, but in many instances (particularly among various Apinae) they also serve for storing honey and pollen. For building material, Apinae rely primarily on beeswax (a product secreted by the bee itself to which various amounts of plant resins are added). On the other hand, wasps (Polistinae and Vespinae) build mainly from matter collected in the nearby environment, be it organic matter such as tree bark, mineral matter, or a combination of the two.Much information has accumulated on comb and cell building among these insect groups (e.g., Wheeler, '23; Van der Vecht, '57, '65; Lindauer, '61; Michener, '61; Kemper and Döhring, '67; Wilson, '71; Guiglia, '72; Spradbery, '73; Edwards, '80; Brian, '83; Schremmer et al., '85). Species of Polistinae and Vespinae are prevalent in forest areas in Southeast Asia and in central and South America or in the temperate regions in both the northern and southern hemispheres, and they mainly use vegetable matter to build their combs. In contrast, species prevalent in the Mediterranean region, which is dry and relatively unvegetated during the wasp and hornet active season, rely more on nearby mineral than on plant matter. Comb building in the Oriental hornet is well known (Darchen, '64; Ishay et al., '67; Schaudinischky and Ishay, '68; Ishay, '73, '75a, b, '76; Ishay and Sadeh, '75, '76; Ishay and Perna, '79; Ishay et al., '82). Recently Ganor et al. ('86) described the cell wall in the V. orientalis comb, showing it to be composed of mineral particles collected near the subterranean nest, in contrast to the comb of two European species (V. crabro and Vespula) (Paravespula) germanica, which is built primarily of organic matter. Regardless of whether the building material is mineral or organic, the hornets utilize particles of sand or other minerals or pieces of wood wrapped and melded together by saliva. However, nothing is known about the cement or mortar used to glue together these “bricks.” The present investigation was initiated to increase our knowledge of this cementing substance.Combs of V. orientalis were collected from fields in the Tel-Aviv district in 1987 during the active season, which extends over most of the summer months. Because the combs are easily damaged, care was taken to remove them intact from the natural nest. Once removed, the combs were cleared of the existing brood (eggs, larvae, or pupae) and then stored carefully in dry glass vessels until examined. For the present study, combs were collected only from nests in Khamra soil, which is common in the Tel-Aviv district and along the coastal area of Israel. To investigate the morphology of the cement material in the comb, strips of comb wall as well as segments of the pupal silk dome were removed from each comb and prepared for examination. The comb wall strips were cut to a size of 3 × 6 mm and fastened to the stub of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The silk pieces were processed in two ways: (1)strips of 3 × 4 mm were fastened onto a stub with the convex (outer surface) facing up or (2) with the concave (interior) side upward.Silk strips were boiled for 2 hours in distilled water to remove all impurities, such as foreign matter adhering to the silk secreted by the larvae. Examination of these silk fibres was carried out in the three ways: (1)SEM micrography of the exterior (white portion) of the silk dome; (2) micrography of the interior; (3) micrography of both exterior and interior aspects after boiling for 2 hours in distilled water to remove water-suspended foreign materials that may have clung to the silk dome in the course of ordinary nest activity.The chemical composition of selected specimens was investigated by x-ray analysis. They were done on JEOL 840 Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) equipped with Link 10,000 Energy-Dispersive System (EDS). (With the EDS System, the spectrometer separates the elements according to energy rather than wavelength). Quantitative analysis was by ZAF4 program. Five strips of comb cell wall were examined from a randomly selected comb, each comb from a different nest. Micrographs were taken of isolated silk samples from each of the examined combs.

Notes: Dissections were performed to document buccal anatomy in three species of the pulmonate genus Helisoma Swainson, 1840. The 28 muscles which are responsible for radular feeding in these animals are organized in three concentric and integrated envelopes. The deepest of these includes muscles which manipulate the radula about the odontophoral cartilage. Elements of the middle envelope direct movements of the cartilage within the buccal cavity, and muscles of the outer envelope control movements of the buccal mass within the cephalic haemocoel. Motion analysis by videomicrography showed that muscles of the middle and outer envelopes contribute to the action of radular feeding by acting as antagonists to other muscles and to hydrostatic elements of the buccal apparatus. Observations of radular dentition showed that although each of the three species examined has a unique radula, especially with regard to the specific details of tooth shape, all resemble a radula characteristic of the Planorbidae with regard to other, more general, aspects of ribbon architecture.

Notes: Crocodilians and birds are the extant representatives of a monophyletic taxon known as archosaurs. Their limbs are highly derived in terms of reduction in number of skeletal elements in both the carpus and the tarsus. It is necessary to have a detailed description of crocodilian limb ontogeny to address the evolutionary issue dealing with the origin and organization of the avian limb. In this paper, we present an analysis of the early development of the crocodilian limb skeleton. Contrasting with earlier observations, we redefine the number and composition of carpal, tarsal, and phalangeal elements. This ontogenetic information is then used to introduce a revision of the homologies of the skeletal elements in the crocodilian limb. Some invariances are pointed out in the developmental organization of tetrapod limbs and this evidence serves to readdress several issues concerning the evolution of the avian limb. We present further embryological data in support of the hypothesis that digits 2-3-4 are the components of the wing skeleton in birds. In general, our comparative survey indicates that the elements that appear late in ontogeny are the ones lost in phylogeny. By comparing turtle (primitive) limb development with crocodilian and bird development, we propose a hypothesis in which the derived skeletal patterns found in crocodilians and birds have originated by a heterochronic process of paedomorphosis.

Notes: A unique pathway that utilizes endoplasmic reticulum (ER) networks is proposed for screening pigment granule formation in the retina of adult Eumesosoma roeweri. Smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) functions to transport pigment particles to the formative site. Each site is composed of concentric, interconnected rings of SER that are filled with dense-cored, spherical pigment particles. Formation of the screening pigment granule begins by the release of particles from the innermost rings of carrier SER. Continued release followed by fusion and condensation of the pigment particles results in the formation of a mature pigment granule.

Notes: Light and scanning electron microscopy of vascular replicas from the facultative air-breathing fish Heteropneustes fossilis show modifications in the macrocirculation of the respiratory organs and systemic circulation, whereas, gill microcirculation is similar to that found in typical water-breathing fish. Three and sometimes four ventral aortae arise directly from the bulbus. The most ventral vessel supplies the first pair of arches. Dorsal to this another aorta supplies the second gill arches, and a third, dorsal to, and larger than the other two, supplies the third and fourth arches and the air sacs. Occasionally a small vessel that may be the remnant of a primitive aortic arch arises from the first ventral aorta and proceeds directly to the mandibular region without perfusing gill tissue. The air sac is perfused by a large-diameter extension of the afferent branchial artery of the fourth gill arch and its circulation is in parallel with the gill arches. Blood drains from the air sac into the fourth arch epibranchial artery. A number of arteries also provide direct communication between the efferent air sac artery and the dorsal aorta. All four gill arches are well developed and contain respiratory (lamellar) and nonrespiratory (interlamellar and nutrient) networks common to gills of water-breathing fish. Air sac lamellae are reduced in size. The outer 30% of the air sac lamellar sinusoids are organized into thoroughfare channels; the remaining vasculature, normally embedded in the air sac parenchyma, is discontinuous. A gill-type interlamellar vasculature is lacking in the air sac circulation. Despite the elaborate development of the ventral aortae, there is little other anatomical evidence to suggest that gill and air sac outflow are separated and that dorsal aortic oxygen tensions are maintained when the gills are in a hypoxic environment. Physiological adjustments to hypoxic water conditions probably include temporal regulation of gill and air sac perfusion to be effective, if indeed they are so.

Notes: The antennae of adult Damalinia ovis, the sheep louse, were studied using light and scanning electron microscopy. Sensory structures are located on all three antennal segments with the predominant sensilla type being tactile. Nine different types of sensilla are described on the basis of external appearance. One of the sensilla, designated a “pit organ” because of its unusual shape, has not been described previously. A pair of these sensilla are present on each antenna, and their function is unknown. A group of 11 sensilla on the tip of each antenna contains olfactory and chemosensory pegs, and a possible thermohygroreceptor. The antennae are sexually dimorphic, the male having more tactile sensilla, two well-developed terminal hooks, and a different cuticular architecture on the posterior surface of antennal segment 1.

Notes: The formation of the unpaired structure ventral to the basibranchial region, the so-called urohyal, differs within osteichthyans. A cartilaginous preformed, unpaired “urohyal” is present in sarcopterygians. A three-tendon ossification is present in Polypterus. An “urohyal” or urohyal is absent in both Amia and Lepisosteus. The urohyal formed as an unpaired ossification of the tendon of the sternohyoideus muscle is a feature of teleosts. A new structure, the parurohyal, arises as a double ossification of the tendon of the sternohyoideus muscle in siluroids; during ontogeny an anterodorsal crest or cup-like structure derives from the anterior basibranchial region and the tendon bone; therefore, the parurohyal is compound in origin. Judging from their formation and their distribution within osteichthyans the cartilaginous preformed “urohyal” and the teleostean urohyal are nonhomologous, whereas the urohyal and parurohyal are homologous. The urohyal is connected by ligaments with the ventral hypohyals in most teleosts, whereas it articulates with the ventral hypohyals in teleosts such as Anguilla and Chanos. The parurohyal is a synapomorphy of siluroids. The parurohyal in siluroids is articulated with both ventral and dorsal hypohyals, and with the basibranchial region in catfishes such as diplomystids and ictalurids, whereas it articulates only with the ventral hypohyals in other catfishes such as trichomycterines. The passage of the hypobranchial artery through the hypobranchial foramen of the parurohyal is a unique feature of siluroids, like the absence of the basihyal bone.An ossified dorsal hypohyal appears late in ontogeny in Amia, as do tooth plates related to the medial side of the hyoid arch and branchiostegal rays in Amia, and tooth plates on the hyoid arch and branchiostegal rays in Elops (unique features within extant teleosts). Two ossified hypohyals, a synapomorphy of teleosts, are present early in ontogeny.There is intraspecific variation in the onset of ossification of the bones of the head, but the sequence of ossification between bones in a defined structural system is conserved (e.g., branchiostegal rays ossify first, then bones of the hyoid arch).

Notes: The vas deferens of Ambystoma macrodactylum is composed of a peritoneal epithelium, connective tissue layer with fibroblasts, circular smooth muscle, capillaries, cells containing lipid, and a luminal epithelium composed of a single layer of cuboidal cells covered by a net of interconnected ciliated squamous cells. The cuboidal cells have abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and PAS + secretory vesicles. Squamous cells of breeding males consistently have tufts of ∼100 cilia located at one end of the long axis of each cell. These cilia may help distribute secretory products. The squamous cells, absent in post-breeding males, are apparently sloughed into the lumen. Lipid vesicles are present throughout the cytoplasm of the cuboidal and squamous epithelial cells and are also in some cells of the connective tissue layer. These vesicles increase dramatically in number during the first 4 weeks after breeding and may serve as an energy pool for the next breeding season. Enzyme-histochemical tests for testosterone synthesis were negative. In addition to the accumulation of lipid and the loss of squamous cells in the vas deferens, after breeding PAS + vesicle production is terminated. These alterations appear to represent energy conservation strategies employed by the sperm-depleted vas deferens.

Notes: The concept of parallel muscle combinations, in which spindle density is significantly higher in small muscles compared to their larger counterparts in large-small muscle combinations acting across a joint, is supported by the results of this study regardless of the joint. Analysis of the canine data as well as previously published guinea pig forelimb and human pelvic limb data revealed no significant difference in spindle density between antigravity and non-antigravity muscles. Furthermore, a gradual increase in spindle density from proximal to distal on the limb was not found, although spindle density was significantly higher in the intrinsic manus or pes muscles compared to more proximal limb muscles in all three species. The significant differences in spindle densities in parallel muscle combinations and in manus/pes versus proximal muscles are discussed relative to their possible role in the control of locomotion.

Notes: The choanocyte chambers of eight different haplosclerid sponge species have been investigated with regard to their histological structure, their relation to the mesohyl, and their arrangement between the canal systems. Two fundamentally different organizational types occur in the investigated sponge species. In Haliclona rosea, H. oculata, H. elegans, H. simulans, H. rava, H. fistulosa, and Acervochalina limbata the choanocytes are separated from the mesohylar tissue, being more or less covered over the outer surface by pinacocytes belonging to the incurrent canal walls. In Haliclona indistincta, on the other hand, the choanocytes are, as in most other Demospongiae, in contact with the mesohyl at their outer surfaces. This indicates that the present order Haplosclerida is polyphyletic and contains sponges of a presumably poecilosclerid origin.

Notes: The three-dimensional structures of the carotid labyrinth in five species of anurans representing four families (Rana nigromaculata, Rana catesbeiana, Bufo japonicus, Hyla arborea, and Xenopus laevis), and three species of caudates representing three families (Cynops pyrrhogaster, Hynobius nebulosus, Ambystoma mexicanum) were compared using vascular corrosion castings and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Anuran carotid labyrinths are spherical in shape and are classified into two groups according to the origin of the external and internal carotid arteries. One group, which included Rana, Hyla, and Bufo, is characterized by the presence of a vascular ring at the proximal end and some vascular routes at the distal end of the labyrinth. The external and internal carotid arteries originate from these structures. The other group, which includes only Xenopus, is characterized by the external carotid artery opening directly from the central chamber or the common carotid artery, and by the internal carotid artery originating from within the vascular maze. The vascular maze is most complex in Xenopus, less so in Rana and Bufo, and simplest in Hyla. The carotid labyrinths in Cynops and Hynobius are oblong in shape. The fundamental organization in salamanders is similar to that in anurans. The vascular maze, however, is much simpler than in Hyla. There is no specialized swelling in Ambystoma mexicanum. The present findings suggest that most amphibian carotid labyrinths have the appropriate architecture for controlling vascular tone.

Notes: The vomeronasal sensory epithelium of a crotaline snake, Trimeresurus flavoviridis, was shown to consist of a superficial supporting cell layer and an underlying sensory cell layer composed of columns of sensory cells. The supporting cell layer consists of both supporting cells and dendrites of the underlying sensory neurons. The apical regions of sensory cell dendrites contain numerous microtubules, many elongated mitochondria, centrioles, and electron-dense bodies. The dendrites terminate as dendritic knobs from which microvilli project into the vomeronasal lumen. Smooth vesicles are abundant in the dendritic terminals and their vicinity. Supporting cells also bear microvilli, and these cells contain large electron-opaque granules and dense vesicles near their free surfaces. Cytoplasmic extensions of the supporting cells form a meshwork which separates dendrxites from each other in the vicinity of the luminal surface. The meshwork becomes obliterated in the infranuclear region of each supporting cell. Bipolar-shaped sensory cells with lightly stained round nuclei contain the characteristic cell organelles of neurons and are thought to be sensory neurons. These cells are especially characterized by well-developed lamellae of rough endoplasmic reticulum and extensive arrays of smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The perikarya of cells located in the apical region of the cell columns tend to contain larger amounts of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and lipofuscin granules than the perikarya of cells located in lower regions. Undifferentiated cells are found in the basal region of the columns. Satellite cells form the framework of the columns and are also found among neuronal elements.

Notes: The protandric hermaphrodite Ophryotrocha puerilis possesses one pair of eyes. They are located in the peristomium. Each light-sensitive organ consists of one sensory cell and one to two supporting cell(s) embedded in a cup-shaped reflector. The sensory-supporting cell complex is enveloped by a basal lamina. This lamina is supposed to be identical with the neural lamella. Thus the eyes proper have to be regarded as protrusions from the brain, while epidermal cells seem to differentiate to crystalline cells (reflector) and are deposited onto the sensory complex.The reflector is built up by several cup-shaped cells (juveniles, 4-5; adults, 10-12). Each of these cells comprises a multilayer of parallel-oriented, membrane-bound crystalline platelets which are thought to be guanine. The sensory cell is of the inverted rhabdomere type. Submicrovillar cisternae, typical for most polychaete eyes, are lacking. The first and always present supporting cell entirely envelops the sensory cell, thus forming the extracellular space around the rhabdomere. It does not contain any pigment granules. Often but not always a second supporting cell has been observed surrounding the sensory cell and first supporting cell. It is interpreted as a glial cell.In the sensory cell beneath the rhabdomere, pino- and phagocytosis can be observed and secondary lysosomes are found in high densities. Preliminary results seem to demonstrate that there is no distinct diurnal cycle of receptoral membrane recycling. In comparison with the ocelli of Dinophilidae, which have been interpreted as a dorvilleid-related family, morphological differences and their application to phylogenetic considerations are discussed.

Notes: The appearance pattern of pharyngeal tooth germs was investigated in the larval Japanese dace, Tribolodon hakonensis, which has a bilaterally asymmetrical dentition. Teeth develop in a series of replacement waves beginning with the initial central tooth (Ce) and continuing with teeth of anterior (An) and posterior (Po) positions relative to the initial one. Identified by wave number (n) and tooth position (r), according to the formula n-1[r], tooth germs appeared in the order of tooth 0[Ce0], 1[Po1], 1[Anl], 2[Ce0], 2[An2], 3[Po1], 3[An1], 4[Ce0], 4[An2], 5[Po1], 5[An1], 5[An3], 6[Ce0], 6[An2] during the larval period. Dentition on the right side, however, lacks the first tooth at position An2 (tooth 2[An2]) and teeth at position An3. Tooth germs on the first, second, and third replacement waves appeared simultaneously on the arches of both sides. During following waves, tooth germs on the left side appeared later than those on the right. Delay of tooth germ appearance On the left side is interpreted as an inhibitory influence of existing tooth germs in accordance with Osborn's (Proc. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. B 179:261--289, '71) theory. The delay of tooth germ appearance on the left arch is most pronounced on the seventh replacement wave. Teeth of the right major row in adults of this species are replaced more frequently than those of the left major row, apparently in correlation with the absence of the first larval tooth at position An2 and teeth at position An3. It is hypothesized that cyprinids evolved the minor rows and specialized teeth of their adult dentition as apomorphic characteristics by the process of neoteny.

Notes: Development of the internal structures of the caudal region (muscles, bones, cartilages, nerves, and blood vessels) of the Da/Da mutant medaka and of wild-type +/+ fish was compared. Muscles and nerves were immunochemically stained by using an antibody to troponin T and antibodies to neurofilament proteins, respectively. Bones and cartilages were stained with alizarin red and alcian blue. In stages 31-32 of the Da/Da embryo, the rudiments of epurals 1, 2, and 3 differentiated dorsally opposite the sites of the ventral rudiments of the parhypural, the lower hypural plate, and the upper hypural plate, respectively. In the +/+ embryo, the rudiments of epurals 1 and 2 differentiated in the later developmental stages (after stage 34), but the rudiment of epural 3 did not differentiate. In the Da/Da embryo, the deep dorsal flexor passed dorsalwards and ended at the rudiment of epural 2, whereas the muscle passed ventralwards and ended at the rudiment of the upper hypural plate in the +/+ embryo. In the Da/Da fry, the epichordal region of the caudal fin fold grew and the notochord extended straight into the tail without bending, while in the + /+ fry, the epichordal region did not grow and the notochord turned dorsalwards within the tail. In the Da/Da fry, extra skeletal rudiments and musculature differentiated in the epichordal region of the caudal fin, whereas these supernumerary structures did not develop in the +/+ fry. The pattern of the epichordal skeleton and musculature in the caudal region of the adult Da/Da fish was an almost mirror-image duplication of the hypochordal structures. These observations suggest that the characteristic expansion of the dorsal fin and epichordal lobe in the caudal region of the adult Da/Da fish is due to a process of ventralization, whereby the dorsal skeleton, musculature, and fin fold are stimulated to differentiate in a pattern like that which is restricted to the anal fin and hypochordal lobe of the wild type.

Notes: Tongue musculature in 24 genera of snakes was examined histologically. In all snakes, the tongue is composed of a few main groups of muscles. The M. hyoglossus is a paired bundle in the center of the tongue. The posterior regions of the tongue possess musculature that surrounds these bundles and is responsible for protrusion. Anterior tongue regions contain hyoglossal bundles, dorsal longitudinal muscle bundles and vertical and transverse bundles, which are perpendicular to the long axis of the tongue. The interaction of the longitudinal with the vertical and horizontal muscles is responsible for bending during tongue flicking. Despite general similarities, distinct patterns of intrinsic tongue musculature characterize each infraorder of snakes. The Henophidia are primitive; the Scolecophidia and Caenophidia are each distinguished by derived characters. These derived characters support hypotheses that these latter taxa are each monophyletic. Cylindrophis (Anilioidea) is in some characters intermediate between Booidea and Colubroidea. The condition in the Booidea resembles the lizard condition; however, no synapomorphies of tongue musculature confirm a relationship with any specific lizard family. Although the pattern of colubroids appears to be the most biomechanically specialized, as yet no behavioral or performance feature has been identified to distinguish them from other snakes.

Notes: Wall and internal organelles of the encysting salt marsh heterotrich ciliate Fabrea salina were examined by bright field and Nomarski interference contrast microscopy and by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. A mucoid sheath believed to be derived from bacteria covers the ectocyst. The possible bacterial origin of this sheath has been demonstrated experimentally by its removal and reappearence after 24 hours. Control ectocyst maintained in sterile seawater did not replace the sheath. The ectocyst has a crinkled appearance. The endocyst is composed of two layers. The inner endocyst material is continuous with that of the plug located at one end of the cyst. The two membranes are separated from one another by an interwall space filled with fibrous material. The cytoplasm, covered by an outer double membrane pellicle, contains mucocysts, pigment granules, microtubules, non-ciliated kinetosomes, Golgi complexes, ribosome-studded endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria. The endoplasm contains numerous autophagosomes, mitochondria, and food reserve materials. The macronucleus is centrally located in the cytoplasm of the encysting organism.

Notes: Analysis of lateral and dorsoventral radiographic films shows that ingestion, transport, and mastication in Pedetes capensis (Rodentia) are cyclic and their movement patterns are essentially similar for the three food types offered. During the ingestion cycle, closing of the mouth is accompanied by a backward translation of the condyles, so that movement is predominantly orthal. During the opening stage, the extent of the anterior condylar translation is smaller. As a result the mandibular incisors move ventrally and posteriorly. During the ingestion cycles, food is transported to the back of the tongue, with the transverse rugae and the folds of the upper lip playing important roles.Springhares show a bilateral masticatory pattern; food is chewed on both sides simultaneously. During chewing, the condyles lie in their most forward position at maximum opening of the mouth. The mouth is closed by rotation of the lower jaw around the temporomandibular joint coupled with posterior condylar translation. At the beginning of the slow-closing stage, the upward rotation of the mandible slows and the jaw slowly shifts forward. During the grinding stage, the mandible is shifted forward with both toothrows in occlusion. During the opening stage, the jaw returns to its starting position.Comparison of kinematic and anatomical data on rodent mastication suggests that some dental characteristics form the most important factors regulating the masticatory pattern and consequently allow reasonably reliable prediction of rodent masticatory patterns.

Notes: Avian embryos can be completely paralyzed by injection of neuromuscular-blocking agents. We used a single injection of decamethonium iodide to paralyze embryos at 7, 8, or 10 days of incubation and analyzed the growth of individual bones (clavicle, mandible, ulna, femur, tibia, humerus) and of individual muscles that act upon some of those bones (clavicular and sternal heads of m. pectoralis, and mm. biceps brachii, depressor mandibulae, pseudotemporalis, and adductor externus). Growth of the bones is not equally affected by paralysis. Only 27% of clavicular growth (by mass) but 77% of mandibular growth occurred in paralyzed embryos, whereas the four long bones exhibited 52-63% of their normal growth. Analysis of muscle weight, fiber length and physiological cross-sectional area (weight/fiber length) indicate that there was greater reduction of the muscles acting on the limbs than of those acting on the mandible, i.e., diminished growth of the skeleton is correlated with reduced muscular activity. Specific retardation of clavicular growth is due to fusion of sternal rudiments and collapse of the thorax, as well as virtual absence of the musculature that normally attaches to the clavicle. We discuss these results in the light of intrinsic and extrinsic factors governing growth of tne embryonic skeleton. Paralysis reduces skeletal growth by reducing both the movements taking place in ovo, and the loads imposed on the bones by muscle contraction, changes that represent alterations in the mechanical environment of the skeleton.

Notes: This study using light and electron microscopy indicates that the saccus vasculosus is distinguishable in 9-mm embryos and grows continuously throughout embryonic development to the adult stage. In the saccus vasculosus, epithelial mitoses are observed in all stages studied. Phases of centriologenesis, ciliogenesis, and globule formation have been characterized in developing coronet cells. During the phase of centriologenesis, new centrioles appear in association with pre-existing centrioles and not on deuterosomes. After ciliogenesis, each cilium differentiates to a globule almost at the same time as the other cilia of the coronet cell. The inner membrane system of the globules seems to derive from the ciliary plasma membrane. This membrane system often produces membrane whorls during the development. The different phases of coronet cell development have been found in the same individual and in all the stages studied except the 9-mm embryo. Cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons are observed in the saccus epithelium from the 12-mm embryos on and are distinguishable from coronet cells in their early formative stages. The three cell types of the saccus vasculosus increase continuously in number during development. Nerve processes are found in the saccus vasculosus of embryos, whereas differentiated synapses appear later in the fry. The significance of continued coronet cell formation is discussed in relation to a putative coronet cell and/or a globule renewal cycle in the adult.

Notes: Changes of architecture of adult rat gastrocnemius medialis muscle (GM) due to growth were studied in relation to length-force characteristics. Myofilament lengths were unchanged, indicating constant sarcomere length-force characteristics. Number of sarcomeres within fibers was unchanged as a consequence of growth, allowing persistence of differences between proximal and distal fibers in all age groups. Distal fiber length at muscle optimum length was shorter for the 14- than for the 10- and 16-week age groups despite a lack of difference of number of sarcomeres. This is indicative of a shift of optimum fiber length with respect to muscle length to lengths higher than optimum length. Some evidence for the occurrence of distribution of fiber optimum lengths with respect to muscle optimum length was found in other age groups as well, albeit of a smaller magnitude. Muscle and aponeurosis length increased substantially with growth. Functional effects of increased aponeurosis lengths were increased contributions to muscle length changes by the aponeurosis, allowing smaller fiber contributions in older animals. Fiber angle increased approximately 5° with growth. Despite the differences of architecture indicated above, muscle length range between optimum length and active slack length was constant. This was probably caused by widening of this length range in the youngest age group by variations of architecture within the muscle. It is concluded that adaptation of aspects of muscle architecture is an important mechanism for adult muscle growth in rat GM. Of these aspects regulation of muscle length seems a dominant factor.

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.