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Foetal membranes and placentation in the vespertilionid bat,Scotophilus heathi (Horsefield)

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Proceedings / Indian Academy of Sciences

Abstract

The arrangement and the structure of the foetal membranes ofScotophilus heathi at full term are described. The yolk sac has collapsed resulting in the reduction of the lumen into streak-like spaces. The splanchnopleure is highly folded and the mesodermal cells are enormously hypertrophied and vacuolated. These changes give the yolk sac a gland-like appearance. A small abembryonic segment of the yolk sac remains trilaminar and lies freely in the persistent uterine lumen on the mesometrial side. The parietal layer of chorion with hypertrophied trophoblastic cells forms an accessory syndesmochorial placenta by coming into intimate contact with the uterine endometrium on the lateral sides of the uterus. The chorio-allantoic placenta is discoidal, antimesometrial, labyrinthine and haemomonochorial with only syncytiotrophoblast lining maternal vascular channels. A PAS-positive membrane is a permanent component of the placental barrier, and this lies embedded in a cytoplasmic lamina of syncytiotrophoblast. The PAS-positive membrane is porous.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Central College, 560 001, Bangalore

    P A Ramakrishna & A Madhavan

  2. Department of Zoology, Bharat Mata College, 682 021, Cochin

    A Madhavan

Authors
  1. P A Ramakrishna
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  2. A Madhavan
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Ramakrishna, P.A., Madhavan, A. Foetal membranes and placentation in the vespertilionid bat,Scotophilus heathi (Horsefield). Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. 86, 117–126 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03050914

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03050914

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