Oropharyngeal structure of the juvenile spotted Scat, Scatophagus argus

Abstract

          A total of 20 juvenile-staged individuals of spotted Scat, Scatophagus argus with standard length of 5.06±0.32 cm was histologically examined for the oropharyngeal cavity by using standard paraffin method and histochemical analysis. Results showed an organizing of three tissue layers to make up for oropharyngeal structure including mucosa, submucosa and muscularis, respectively. Stratified epithelium of the mucosal layer with several cell types including mucous cells and taste buds occurred in all regions. With histochemical analysis, the mucous cell showed a strong positive reaction with Periodic acid-Shiff and alcian blue at pH 2.5, indicating the presence of the glycoprotein and mucopolysaccharide. Additionally, the oral cavity of S. argus also showed villiform teeth, which distributed in three areas (upper jaw, lower jaw and pharyngeal teeth). This is the first report about the histological observations of the oropharyngeal cavity in S. argus during juvenile stage, which could be applied to further studies about S. argus.