Ontogenetic development of the gastrointestinal tract of African lungfish larvae Protopterus aethiopicus (Heckel 1851) : a light microscopy study

The organogenesis of the digestive system was described in the African lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) from 6 days post-hatching (6 DPH) to 17 days post-hatching (17 DPH) reared at 27 degrees C. To elucidate the position of the gastrointestinal tract in relation to the neural tube, notochord and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aquaculture Research
Main Authors: Sserwadda, Martin, Nevejan, Nancy, Ntanzi, Ronald, Cornillie, Pieter, Van den Broeck, Wim, Van Stappen, Gilbert
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2020
Subjects:
Agriculture and Food Sciences
DIGESTIVE-SYSTEM
SIBERIAN STURGEON
PHYSIOLOGY
exogenous feeding
intestinal vestibule
organogenesis
spiral valve
Siberian sturgeon
Online Access:https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8697847
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8697847
https://doi.org/10.1111/are.14846
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8697847/file/8697851
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Summary:The organogenesis of the digestive system was described in the African lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) from 6 days post-hatching (6 DPH) to 17 days post-hatching (17 DPH) reared at 27 degrees C. To elucidate the position of the gastrointestinal tract in relation to the neural tube, notochord and yolk sac at 6 DPH, and to the vertebral column, lungs and kidneys at 17 DPH, larvae were mapped by means of computer-assisted 3D reconstructions starting from histological serial sections. The larvae showed a simple digestive tract, which appeared as a straight undifferentiated and closed tube at 6 DPH. Microscopical observation showed that yolk reserves were not completely depleted by 17 DPH. During the endogenous feeding period at least up to 17 DPH, the larval digestive system experienced a fast transformation with almost complete development of most digestive organs (pharyngeal teeth, intestinal vestibule, intestine and liver). Our findings suggest that, by 17 DPH, African lungfish larvae are ready to start exogenous feeding.

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