Summary
The pituitary gland of Latimeria chalumnae is situated rostroventral to the telencephalon. The hollow pituitary stalk is bent forward and is ventrally connected to a saccus-vasculosus-like organ, rostrally to a neurointermediate lobe. The infundibular lumen protrudes far into the neurohypophysial lobules. The elongated principal part (pars cerebralis) of the pars distalis is partly embedded in a dorsal depression of the pars intermedia and caudally invaded by the neurohypophysis. It may be divided into rostral and proximal pars distalis and includes a ramified hypophysial cleft, which continues rostrally as a duct with adjacent islets of pars distalis tissue (parts of a pars buccalis). The adenohypophysis consists of cell cords and follicles.
Eight tinctorial cell types can be distinguished: in the rostral islets: large basophils with acidophil globules, in the rostral pars distalis: small basophils, large basophils with amphiphil characters and erythrosin-, orange G-positive acidophils; in the proximal pars distalis: orange G-positive acidophils and small and large basophils, having similar staining properties; in the pars intermedia: one amphiphil cell type.
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It is a pleasure to acknowledge Prof. Dr. J. Anthony, Laboratoire d'Anatomie comparée, Paris, who provided us with the pituitary material. We wish to thank Prof. Dr. A.P. van Overbeeke for a critical reading of the manuscript. Thanks are also due to Mrs. Caria de Vocht-Poort, Miss Ans Rouwenhorst, and Mr. G. Spaan for their conscientious technical assistance, to Mr. M. Willems for printing the photographs, and to Mr. Chr. van Huyzen for his contribution to the realization of the graphic reconstructions.
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van Kemenade, J.A.M., Kremers, J.W. The pituitary gland of the coelacanth fish Latimeria chalumnae Smith: General structure and adenohypophysial cell types. Cell Tissue Res. 163, 291–311 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00219465
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00219465