Comparative histology of the digestive tract in three new world marsupials

ANDRINI, LAURA BEATRÍZ; GARCÍA, MARCELA NILDA; INDA, ANA MARÍA; ERRECALDE, ANA LÍA; GOIN, FRANCISCO J; CARLINI, ALFREDO ARMANDO; SCARANO, ALEJO CARLOS; MARTIN, GABRIEL; DE LOS REYES, MARTÍN

ACTA ZOOLOGICA

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2018

0001-7272

We compare the main histological features of the digestive tract of three selectedNew World didelphid marsupials (Mammalia, Metatheria, Didelphimorphia,Didelphidae): the White-earedOpossum Didelphis albiventris Lund, 1840, theShort-tailedOpossum Monodelphis dimidiata Wagner, 1847, and the PatagonianOpossum Lestodelphys halli Thomas, 1921. The three species have a geographicdistribution restricted to south-easternand southern South America, and have quitedistinct body masses, adaptations and life histories. Our observations include the following:(i) submucosal glands are present throughout the oesophagus of D. albiventris,only in its first third in M. dimidiata, and are lacking in L. halli; (ii) in thestomach and duodenum, the serus coat coat in D. albiventris is cuboidal (simple,squamous mesothelial layer in the other two species); (iii) the duodenum in L. hallihas large folds, short crypts and Brunner?s glands (the other species lack folds andBrunner?s glands); (iv) the colon?s mucous membrane has short, scarce villi in D. albiventris(villi absent in the remaining species). Some of the observed differencescan be due to ecological adaptations, especially in the relatively large-sized,extremelyomnivorous D. albiventris (e.g., colon villi).