Ultrastructure of Vascular Capillary of Lingual Filiform Papillae in the Mole (<i>Mogella wogura wogura</i>)

Abstract

Detailed observation of the structure of filiform papillae (FP) and microvasculature of those papillae in Japanese Azuma mole were described. In the anterior and medial regions, FP was cylinder in shape with two processes. In the posterior region, it had a long, sharp conical shape. The microvascular casts showed two types of hairpin-shaped capillary loops on three regions of the tongue. In the anterior and medial regions, the end of the capillary loops were shaped like a spoon. In contrast, in the posterior region, it was knot-like end of capillary loop. Since the shape of capillary loop was more complex in the anterior and medial regions than that in the posterior region, it was speculated that the spoon-like end of capillary loops of the FP in the anterior and medial regions supply nutrients to the filiform papillary cells and may be related to the movement of the tongue during mastication in Japanese Azuma mole.

Scanning Electron Microscopy of Lingual Papillae in the Common Shrew, Sorex araneus, L.

“…While comparing the structure of filiform papillae within the insectivores, one more type of structure may be distinguished, i.e. with one big process, found in the Japanese mole belonging to the Talpidae (Miyata et al., 1990; Ueno et al., 2003). The structure of filiform papillae in the common shrew bears a slight resemblance to that found commonly in the carnivores, where the filiform papillae are composed of a round or oval base and two to 10 or more processes (Boshell et al., 1982; Iwasaki 1992; Nickel et al, 1999).…”

“…(1989), Miyata et al. (1990) and Ueno et al. (2003) on the morphology of the lingual papillae in the Sorex and Crocidura species endemic to Japan, and the Japanese mole Mogella wogura wogura , no investigations have been conducted on other species of insectivores.…”