Premium
Surface pits in the family esocidae. II. Epidermal dermal interaction and evidence for aplasia of the lateral line sensory system
Author(s) -
Merriless M. J.,
Crossman E. J.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
journal of morphology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1097-4687
pISSN - 0362-2525
DOI - 10.1002/jmor.1051410307
Subject(s) - biology , sensory system , aplasia , line (geometry) , anatomy , neuroscience , geometry , mathematics
Esox americanus and Esox niger (esocidae) possess two types of surface pits, sensory and nonsensory. The pits are morphologically very similar and both are associated with modified (cardioid) scales. The pits are distinguished by neuromasts in the sensory and central cells in the nonsensory pit. Neuromasts and central cells are responsible for the formation and maintenance of respectively the pit and cardioid scale. This supports an extension of the epidermal co‐participation hypothesis that epidermal cells control the form of dermal structures in addition to contributing to composition. The central cells are similar in structure to induced primordial cells of regenerating neuromasts. The development of primordial cells may be arrested and the cells maintained in a static condition during which time they still influence the dermal tissues and maintain a pit and cardioid scale. Essentially this represents the experimental conversion of a sensory pit into a nonsensory pit. This evidence is taken in support of the hypothesis that the nonsensory pit and central cells represent an aplasic condition of the lateral line system.