Morphological aspects and germ cells of male reproductive tract of river stingray, Potamotrygon amandae

The family Potamotrygonidae are the only species of stingrays restricted to fresh water and located exclusively in South America. The objective of this research was to analyze the morphological aspects and germ cells of the male reproductive tract of Potamotrygon amandae. The samples were fixed in 10% formalin, and then dehydrated in an ascending ethanol series (70 to 100%). To carry out light microscopy analyses, they were embedded in paraffin, cut and stained; as for scanning electron microscopy analyses, the samples were dried, glued in metallic bases and metalized. The gross morphology consisted of the following paired organs: testis, epididymis, deferent duct, Leydig gland, seminal vesicle, clasper, and the clasper gland. Microscopically, several stages of spermatogenesis were observed in the testis, occurring in spherical follicles, similar to other stingrays. The epididymis was formed by one duct subdivided in various tubules. The deferent ducts were continuous with the epididymis, and the lumen was full of spermatozoa. The Leydig glands consisted of glandular units with eosinophilic content in the lumen of some, and the deferent ducts ran parallel to the ventral portion. The seminal vesicles possessed numerous compartments to store the sperm, with a wall similar to a hive, and the lumen was full of spermatozoa. Alcian Blue (AB) and Periodic Schiff-Acid (PAS) performed in the Leydig Gland, deferens ducts and seminal vesicle was positive only in the connective tissue, the cilia were PAS+ and the nuclei stained weakly for AB. The clasper gland was composed of unit glands and was covered with striated muscle externally. It stained very well with Periodic Schiff-Acid. The morphological aspects of the male reproductive tract of Potamotrygon amandae were similar to other stingrays.(AU)

Ultrastructural study of the esophagus and stomach of Arapaima gigas (Schinz 1822), juvenile paiche, created excavated tank

Paiche (Arapaima gigas) belongs to the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, Class Actinopterygii, Order Osteoglossiformes, Family Arapaimidae, Genus Arapaima, and its origin may date to the Jurassic period. The species has natural habitat in the Amazonian rivers, found mainly in marginal lakes, being considered an important fishing resource, with high market value and high demand for meat and leather in both Brazilian and international trade. This study aims to report the morphology of the esophagus and stomach by light microscopy and scanning electronics microscopy. The esophagus was presented as muscular, short, tubular and fan-shaped in the cranial portion, also presenting deep longitudinal folds, and the entire mucosa is covered by mucus secretory cells with distinct morphological characteristics. Pirarurcu's stomach has a J-shape divided into three regions: cardiac with a lighter aspect, fundus portion with few folds in the mucosa, and pyloric with deeper folds, also presenting gastroliths in fundus and pyloric portions. Both microscopy studies highlighted three glandular regions, composed by mucoid columnar epithelial cells, gastric crypts with different shapes and sizes depending on each portion, in which the different shapes of the mucosal folds in each region of the stomach were evident, and digitiform microsaliences were found in the cardiac region, and micro-orifices and desmosome in the fundus region. Also, fundus and pyloric portions produce more mucus than the cardiac. Then morphology found was consistent with the eating habits and management of distinct characteristics of the digestive tract.(AU)

Macro, micromorphological and histological aspects of the intestine pirarucu Arapaima gigas (SCHINZ, 1822) (Osteoglossiformes: Arapaimidae) / Aspectos macro e micromorfológicos e histológicos do intestino do pirarucu Arapaima gigas (SCHINZ, 1822) (Osteoglossiformes: Arapaimidae)

Currently, the fish farming with Arapaima gigas has suffered from technological obstacles in the fields of reproduction, health and nutrition, making it necessary to know the morphology of its structures, so that it can advance in more technified research in scope of production in Rondônia state, as well as in aquaculture nutrition and health. Therefore, the aimed is to characterize the macro and microscopic morphology of posterior digestive system of A. gigas. The intestine of six specimens A. gigas in ideal slaughter size was analyzed. The analyzes were performed using light-sheet microscopy (LM) and scanning electron (SEM) techniques. The intestine basically showes similar histological characteristics in three analyzed portions (proximal, middle and distal). Same type of simple columnar epithelium with goblet cells was evidenced, with subtle variations in pattern of villi in each segment, and in number of goblet cells. In the rectum, the amount of goblet cells and evident longitudinal villi was expressive. Macroscopic anatomy and histology of the intestine A. gigas analyzed showes characteristics of adaptation to cultivation, according to their diet and habitat. The intestinal mucosa can divided into three distinct portions: proximal, middle and final intestine, in addition to the rectum and anus. In the pyloric cecum, the folds are slightly higher and poorly branched. The rectum, compared to the midgut, showed a higher occurrence of goblet cells in the mucosa. This increase in goblet cells observed in the posterior portion may related to the assimilation of ions and fluids that occur at this location.

Atualmente, a piscicultura do Arapaima gigas tem sofrido com entraves tecnológicos nos campos de reprodução, saúde e nutrição, fazendo-se necessário conhecer a morfologia de suas estruturas, para que se possa avançar em pesquisas mais tecnificadas no âmbito da produção piscícola no estado de Rondônia, bem como na nutrição e na sanidade aquícola. Por isso, objetiva-se caracterizar a morfologia macro e microscópica do sistema digestivo posterior do A. gigas. Foi analisado o intestino de seis espécimes de A. gigas em porte de abate. As análises foram realizadas por meio de técnicas de microscopia de luz (ML) e eletrônica de varredura (MEV). O intestino apresenta basicamente características histológicas similares nas três porções analisadas (proximal, médio e distal). Evidenciou-se um mesmo tipo de epitélio colunar simples com células caliciformes, variando o padrão de vilos em cada segmento de forma sutil, e o número de células caliciformes. No reto foi expressiva a quantidade de células caliciformes e as vilos longitudinais evidentes. A anatomia macroscópica e a histologia do intestino de A. gigas analisadas apresentam características de adaptação ao cultivo, conforme sua alimentação e habitat. A mucosa intestinal pode ser dividida em três porções distintas: intestino proximal, médio e final, além de reto e ânus. No ceco pilórico, as dobras são ligeiramente mais altas e pouco ramificadas. O reto, comparado ao intestino médio, apresentou maior ocorrência de células caliciformes na mucosa. Esse aumento de células caliciformes observado na porção posterior pode estar relacionado com a assimilação de íons e fluidos que ocorrem neste local.

Oropharyngeal morphological aspects of Arapaima gigas (Schinz, 1822) / Aspectos morfológicos orofaríngicos de Arapaima gigas (Schinz, 1822)

The study of the functional anatomy of the digestive system of fish, in particular the oropharyngeal cavity, is of great importance because it allows inferences about the feeding habit, mechanisms of capture, selection, and processing of food carried out by different species. Thus, the aim of this stu-dy was to describe the anatomical adaptations of the oropharyngeal cavity of the pirarucu (Arapai-ma gigas Schinz, 1822) using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The oropharyngeal cavity of six specimens of pirarucu was collected in juvenile phase, from Aquaculture Research Cen-ter at the Universidade Federal de Rondônia (UNIR), created for commercial purposes. The anato-mical pieces were fixed in 10% buffered formalin and processed for SEM analysis. Anatomically, the oropharyngeal cavity of the pirarucu is composed of five pairs of branchial arches, apical portion of the tongue, floor of the tongue, lower pharyngeal area, and upper pharyngeal plate. In SEM, we observed that the mucosa of the apex of the tongue and the upper pharyngeal roof have a smooth texture and are covered by squamous cells with numerous small openings scattered over the surfa-ce. The portions of the floor of the tongue and the lower pharyngeal area, on the other hand, have adaptations in the form of a projectile and numerous sensory papillae, giving a rough texture to the region. Thus, the oropharyngeal cavity of pirarucu is adapted for the capture, apprehension, and swallowing of its prey, with signs of carnivory.(AU)

O estudo da anatomia funcional do aparelho digestivo dos peixes, em particular da cavidade orofa-ríngea, é de grande importância, pois permite inferências sobre o hábito alimentar, mecanismos de captura, seleção e processamento de alimentos realizados por diferentes espécies. Assim, o objetivo do estudo foi descrever as adaptações anatômicas da cavidade orofaríngea do pirarucu (Arapaima gigas Schinz, 1822) por meio de técnicas de microscopia de varredura eletrônica (MEV). A cavidade orofaríngea de seis espécimes de pirarucu foi coletada na fase juvenil, no Centro de Pesquisa em Aquicultura da Universidade Federal de Rondônia (UNIR), criado para fins comerciais. As peças anatômicas foram fixadas em formalina tamponada a 10% e processadas para análise em MEV. Ana-tomicamente, a cavidade orofaríngea do pirarucu é composta por cinco pares de arcos branquiais, porção apical da língua, assoalho da língua, região faríngea inferior e placa faríngea superior. Na MEV, a pesquisa observou que a mucosa do ápice da língua e o teto faríngeo superior possuem textura lisa e são recobertos por células escamosas com numerosas pequenas aberturas espalha-das pela superfície. As porções do assoalho da língua e da região faríngea inferior, por outro lado, apresentam adaptações em forma de projétil e numerosas papilas sensoriais, conferindo textura áspera à região. Assim, a cavidade orofaríngea do pirarucu é adaptada para a captura, a apreensão e a deglutição de sua presa, com sinais de carnivoria.(AU)