Biotemas (Jun 2013)
Morphology of the lingual papillae of Oryctolagus cuniculus (Lagomorpha: Leporidae) rabbits
Abstract
The tongue represents the morphological diversification in mammals; their papillae have mechanical and gustatory functions in feeding. This study aimed to describe the macroscopic and microscopic morphology of the lingual papillae of rabbits of the Oryctolagus cuniculus species. One used 45 dissected tongues from adult rabbits belonging to the collection of the Laboratory for Education and Research on Wild Animals (LAPAS)of Universidade Federal de Uberlandia (UFU). For the microscopic identification of the tongue, the optical microscopy and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were used. The tongue has four papillae types: filiform, fungiform, vallate, and foliate. The filiform papillae have a mechanical function and they present three subtypes: type 1, with a conical shape, from the tongue’s body to the rostral edge of the lingual prominence; type 2, with a sharp shape, in the rostral area of the lingual prominence; and type 3, with a thick and sharp shape, in the caudal area of the lingual prominence. The fungiform papillae have a gustatory function and they’re in the tongue’s body. The foliate papillae are pairs, they have a gustatory function, in the lateral surfaces of the tongue’s body. The vallate papillae are pairs, they have a gustatory function, in the root. On the tongue, one observed a keratinized squamous stratified epithelium, lining the papillae and the regions between them.
