Questions & their ideal answers

1-Write briefly on the skin and horny teeth of Petromyzon.

The skin: The skin is smooth and slimy. The epidermis is multilayered and contains numerous gland cells. The outer epidermal cells are living and secrete a thin cuticular layer. Numerous unicellular mucous glands as well as large club-shaped cells occur in the epidermis. The dermis is formed of collagen and elastic fibers and contains numerous chromatophores and blood vessels. The most chromatophores are usually arranged in a thick layer beneath the dermis.

Horny teeth: These are yellowish, conical horny structures derived from the epidermis as cornified epidermal cells. They are scattered in the buccal funnel and on the surface of the tongue. When a tooth falls it becomes replaced from below by a new one.

2-Write on the digestive system of Petromyzon.

Alimentary canal:
It starts with a small mouth opening at the base of the buccal funnel provided with marginal labial papillae and contains several rows of horny teeth. The mouth leads into a wide buccal cavity that leads to a dorsal food passage or oesophagus and a ventral respiratory tube. The oesophagus opens into a straight tube, the intestine. There is no true stomach in lamprey . The internal surface of the intestine is increased by a fold called typhlosole. The intestine opens out by a small aperture, the anus, in a slight depression on the ventral surface. Most lampreys are parasitic on other fishes. The adult lamprey uses its sucker-like mouth to stick to the large fishes and rasp a hole with its tongue and feeds on the blood of the prey. Digestive glands: a-The liver: The liver is a large bilobed gland containing a small gall bladder and a fine bile duct opens into the intestine. b-The salivary glands: There is a pair of salivary glands embedded in the hypobranchial muscles. These glands open below the tongue. These glands produce a secretion that prevents coagulate of the blood of fishes on which the lamprey feeds. c-The pancreas: The pancreas occurs as large patches scattered in the wall of the intestine and on the surface of the liver.

3-Give an account of the respiratory system and respiration in Petromyzon. The respiratory system:
The pharynx of adult Petromyzon is represented by a respiratory tube which is closed at the posterior end. The passage between the buccal cavity and the respiratory tube is guarded by a velum that possesses velar tentacles which prevent the passage of large particles to the respiratory tube. The respiratory tube leads to seven pairs of sac-like gill pouches separated by thick interbranchial septa. Each gill pouch communicates with the respiratory tube by an internal gill-slit, and with the exterior by an external gill-slit. The gill pouch bears on its inner surface a number of highly vascular gill lamellae.

Mechanism of respiration:
When the lamprey is no attached to its prey, the current of water passes through the mouth to the respiratory tube then to the gill pouch , where exchange of gases takes place, then to exterior via the external gill-slits. However, when the lamprey is attached to the prey by its buccal funnel and can not take water through its mouth the gill pouches contract and relax alternately, forcing out and drawing in water through the external gill-slits

4- Write an essay on the circulatory system of Petromyzon.

Circulatory system: The heart is S-shaped structure enclosed in a pericardial chamber. It consists of a thin-walled sinus venosus into which the veins pour blood. This opens into a thin-walled auricle lying above the sinus venosus. The auricle passes blood into a thick-walled ventricle.
a-The arteries: Blood leaves the heart by the ventral aorta which gives eight pairs of afferent branchial arteries to the gill pouches where aeration takes place. The base of the ventral aorta is slightly dilated to form the conus arteriosus. The blood is collected again into eight efferent branchial vessels. These join to form a median dorsal aorta that carries oxygenated blood to body musculature, viscera and then to the tail region. b-The veins: The venous system consists of a single vein collecting blood from the tail, the caudal vein which divides into two posterior cardinal veins on entering the abdomen. These veins receive blood from the kidneys, gonads, etc. and open into the sinus venosus by a single Cuvierian duct on the right side. Two anterior cardinal veins collect blood from the anterior side of the body and also open in the Cuvierian duct. A hepatic portal vein collects blood from the alimentary canal and extends to the liver. Blood is carried from the liver to the sinus venosus via a hepatic vein.

5-Give an account of the urinogenital system of Petromyzon.

a-The urinary system: The urinary system includes two mesonephric kidneys which lie dorsally in the abdominal cavity. From each kidney a tubular mesonephric duct arises and extends to the urinogenital sinus which opens to the exterior on the urinogenital papilla by the urinogenital opening. The side-walls of the urinogenital sinus are pierced by a pair of small genital pores. b-The genital system: Sexes are separate and the gonads are unpaired. The gonad is suspended from the body wall by mesorchium (in case of testis) and mesovarium (in case of ovary). The gonads have no genital ducts. The ovary in the female ruptures and extrudes eggs into the coelom. The testis in the male also ruptures releasing spermatzoa in the coelom. The eggs and spermatozoa make their way through the genital pores into the urinogenital sinus, and then to the exterior where fertilization takes place in the surrounding water The cleavage is holoblastic and after three weeks the young hatches as the ammocoete larva.

6-Write on the digestive system of Carcharinus.

Digestive system: a- The alimentary canal: The alimentary canal is suspended in the peritoneal cavity by a number of folds of the peritoneum called mesenteries. The alimentary canal consists of mouth, buccal cavity, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, intestine and cloaca. -The pharynx: It is a wide cavity lying between the buccal cavity and the oesophageal opening. There are five pairs of gill pouches, found on the sides of the pharynx. -The oesophagus: The oesophagus is a short muscular tube. -The stomach: The stomach is L-shaped structure. The long straight and stout part is the cardiac portion while the short one is the pyloric portion . -The intestine: The intestine is differentiated into duodenum, ileum and rectum. The duodenum is a short tube and opens into a broad ileum containing a spiral valve to increase the absorptive surface. -The rectum is a short terminal portion of the gut between the ileum and cloaca. At the junction of the rectum and cloaca there is a rectal gland which eleminates the excess of sodium chloride in the blood. -The cloaca: It is a short terminal chamber. b-Digestive glands: -The liver: The liver is a large brownish yellow organ. It consists of two lobes & gall- bladder lies in the left lobe of liver. The bile duct extends from the bladder and opens into the duodenum. -The pancreas:The pancreas is a whitish gland lies between the pyloric of the stomach and the ileum.

7-Describe the chondrocranium and visceral arches of Charcharinus.

1-The chondrocranium: It is a simple oblong cartilaginous box which surrounds and protects the brain. The rostrum is supported by three cartilages called rostral cartilages which extend from the anterior part of the cranium. The cranium is fused anteriorly with two olfactory capsules and posteriorly with two auditory capsules. On each side, there is a large depression, the orbit, for the eye. At the posterior end of the cranium there is a large opening, the foramen magnum through which the spinal cord passes. On both sides of the foramen magnum there are two rounded projections, the occipital condyles for articulation with the first vertebra. 2-The splanchnocranium: It consists of seven pairs of visceral arches: a-The first visceral arch: It is termed the mandibular arch. It consists of both upper jaw (right and left palato-pterygo-quadrate cartilages) and lower jaw (right and left Meckels cartilages). b-Second visceral arch: This arch is termed the hyoid arch. It consists of a median basihyal from which a ceratohyal extends dorso-laterally on each side. These three cartilages support the floor of the mouth. Bridging the space between the dorsal end of each ceratohyal and the otic capsule, on either side, is a small hyomandibular cartilage. c-Branchial arches: These arches bear the gill-lamellae only on their mid-lateral regions. Each branchial arch is divided into four segments, pharyngo-, epi-, cerato-, and hypobranchial segments. The fifth arch lacks the hypobranchial segment. The arches of the two sides connected to a single basibranchial which lies in the floor of the pharynx.

8- Give an account of the arterial system of Carcharinus.

-Arterial system: a-Ventral aorta and afferent branchial arteries: The blood passes from the conus arteriosus into the ventral aorta then to the gills for oxygenation. The ventral aorta gives of four pairs of afferent branchial arteries to the gills. The anterior artery, on each side, divides to form anterior and posterior branches. The anterior branch runs along the hyoid arch while the second branch runs along the posterior side of the first branchial arch and provide blood to the first hemibranch. The second, third and fourth branchial arteries extend beneath the second, third and fourth branchial arches and provide blood to the second, third and fourth holobranchs respectively. b-Efferent branchial and epibranchial arteries: After passing through the capillaries in the gill lamellae, the blood is collected by nine efferent branchial arteries. These arteries differ from the afferent branchial arteries in being formed of loops which surround the gill-slits, except the last, which having a hemibranch and no gill lamellae on its posterior side. The anterior and posterior arteries of each loop are called pretrematic and posttrematic efferent branchial artery respectively. Blood from the gill lamellae of the posterior hemibranch is passed by a short vessel into the fourth efferent branchial vessel. From these loops four main epibranchial arteries run posteriorly to join the dorsal aorta. c-Dorsal aorta and its branches: The dorsal aorta passes below the vertebral column and enters the tail as the caudal artery. The following arteries extend from the dorsal aorta: i- Internal carotid artery for brain. ii-Two subclavian arteries for pectoral fins. iii-A large coeliaco-mesentric artery for stomach and liver. iv-A median lienogastreic artery for pyloric stomach, gonads & intestine. v-Two renl arteries supply the kidneys.

9-Write an essay on the brain of Carcharinus.

Brain: The brain is divided into three regions: -Fore-brain: It includes the olfactory lobes, cerebrum and diencephalon. Each olfactory lobe is composed of the olfactory tract ends in a large olfactory bulb applied to the corresponding olfactory sac. The cerebrum is a pair of cerebral hemispheres with first and the second ventricles. The diencephalon is a narrow structure connects cerebrum with the optic lobes. It contains the third ventricle and carries pineal body on its dorsal surface. The ventral surface of the diencephalon contains infundibulum which is composed of a median large lobe attached posteriorly to hypophysis, the two parts form the pituitary gland. In front of the infundibulum lies the optic chiasma. -Mid-brain: It consists of a pair of rounded optic lobes. Each optic lobe encloses a large cavity, the opticoel. -Hind-brain: It tapers of gradually to the spinal cord and is known as the medulla oblongata. The antero-dorsal portion forms the cerebellum. The latter grows forwards and partially covers the optic lobes. It is well developed and divided into two lobes by a longitudinal median groove. The cerebellum contains a cavity called the metacoel connected anteriorly with the opticoel and posteriorly with the fourth ventricle in the medulla oblongata.

10-Write on the male urinogenital system of Carcharinus.

Male urinogenital system: a-The urinary system: The kidneys are long narrow organs lying on either side of the dorsal line of the abdominal cavity. They attached to the dorsal abdominal wall above the peritoneum. Each kidney is composed of two regions, the anterior narrow part or the genital part and a posterior broad region or the renal part. In the male, the the renal part of the kidney contains about eight tubules open, on each side, in a straight mesonephric duct. The two mesonephric ducts open posteriorly in a wide, triangular urinogenital sinus. This sinus communicates with the cloaca through a small opening situated at the tip of the urinogenital papilla. b-The male genital system: The testes are two soft slender glands one on each side of the abdominal cavity. The testes are suspended from the abdominal cavity by two folds called the mesorchia. The vasa efferentia pass through the mesorchium from the testis to the cranial part of the kidney and carry spermatozoa from testis to the epididymis which leads to a much coiled tube, the vas deferens. The caudal portion of vas deferens enlarges to form the seminal vesicle. The sperm-sacs are a pair of small cavities evaginated from the caudal ends of the seminal vesicles. The sperm sacs unite to form a urinogenital sinus which opens by a papilla into the cloaca behind the opening of the rectum. The pelvic fins of the male are adapted to form a pair of copulatory organs or claspers which are used for transferring the sperms to the cloaca of the female.

11-Write briefly on the skin and scales of Oreochromis. A-The skin

The skin of Oreochromis consists of outer epidermis and inner dermis. -The epidermis: The epidermis is composed of several layers of epithelial cells. The deepest layer (Malpighian layer) is actively dividing cells while the superficial layers are flattened cells. Scattered among the epithelial cells are numerous secretory cells called the mucous glands. These glands secrete the slippery mucus that covers most of the body. -The dermis: It contains blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue. The dermis plays the main role in the formation of scales. The latter are thin overlapping bony plates covered by skin. B-The scales: The bony scales are continually grow in size by adding rings of bones whose number determines the age of the fish. On the basis of shape, the living bony fishes possess two main types of scales namely, cycloid and ctenoid scales. Both types are dermal in origin and with similar basic structure except that the posterior margin of the ctenoid scale is provided with numerous tiny spines. The cycloid scale is typically smoothly disc-like and more or less circular in outline. These scales are thin and translucent bony discs embedded in the dermis and covered by the thin epidermis. The scales have an imprecate arrangement. A small 3-sided portion of each scale lies just under the epidermis, while the rest is covered by scales immediately anterior to it. The anterior portion of the scale (embedded in the dermis) contains numerous ridges alternate with valley-like depressions called radial lines. However, the posterior portion of the scale (covered by the epidermis) contains numerous pigments. The age of the fish can be determined from the rings of growth lines.

12- Write an essay on the digestive system of Oreochromis.

Digestive system: It consists of alimentary canal and digestive glands.
1-The alimentary canal: The alimentary canal comprises the following parts: a-The mouth, buccopharyngeal cavity, pharynx and the branchial chambers: The alimentary canal starts by a terminal mouth opening which is bounded by the upper and lower jaws which carry small teeth. The mouth leads to a short buccal cavity. The floor of the buccal cavity is slightly raised to form a small, toothed tongue. The buccal cavity leads to a wide pharynx. The anterior part of the pharynx is perforated on each side by vertically elongated gill-slits. Small processes, the gill-rakers, project into the pharynx serving to keep the food from passing out the gill-slis. The pharynx opens into a short muscular oesophagus b-Oesophagus:The oesophagus is a short tube provided with a strong sphincter which prevents the entrance of water into the stomach. c-The stomach: The stomach consists of a wide cardiac portion extending backwards as a blind sac and a small narrow pyloric portion. d-The intestine:The intestine is a very long and coiled tube of nearly uniform diameter. The intestine is usually differentiated into u-shaped duodenum, coiled ileum and a short straight rectum. e-The anus: The anus lies on the ventral surface in front of the genital and urinary apertures. 2-The digestive glands: a-The liver: The liver is composed of a small right lobe and a large left one. The gall-bladder is a greenish sac lies near the ventral surface of the anterior part of the abdominal cavity. A fine bile duct opens in the duodenum. b-The pancreas: It is a diffused gland scattered in the liver and mesentery.

13-Write on the respiratory system and respiration in Oreochromis.

Respiratory system:

It comprises mouth, buccal cavity, pharynx, branchial chambers gills and gill-slits. The buccal cavity contains a pair of oral valves. On each side of the pharynx there is a large branchial chamber containing four gills. The gill-slits are separated by interbranchial septa. Each septum is supported by gillarch. The gill-filaments hang freely into the branchial chamber. The inner border of each branchial septum has two rows of gill-rakers which prevent the food particles from entering the gill chamber. The branchial septum bears two rows of gill-filaments. Each gillfilament is composed of many minute transeverse plates called gill-lamellae. The outer gill-slits on each side opens in the branchial chamber covered with a movable operculum supported by four bones. A flexible membrane, the branchiostegal membrane, is attached to the ventro-posterior border of theoperculum. It acts as a one way valve, allowing water to pass from the branchial chamber to the outside. Respiration: During respiration, the branchiostegal membranes are pressed to close the branchial apertures. The opercula are raised, enlarging the branchial chambers so that the oral valves open and water flows from the mouth into the buccal cavity, pharynx and branchial chambers. Contraction of pharyngeal wall forces water across gills and holds the mouth valve closed. Both pharyngeal and branchial chambers are constricted and water leaves the branchial chambers through the open opercula. The blood flowing in the capillaries of the gillfilaments gives up its carbon dioxide and absorb oxygen from the water by diffusion through their epithelium. During the process of respiration the oesophagus is kept close by the oesophageal valve.

14-Write an essay on the structure and function of tye swim bladder of Oreochromis.
Swim (air) bladder The swim bladder is a large, transparent, sac lying beneath the kidneys and above the alimentary canal. In Oreochromis, there is no connection between the swim bladder and the alimentary canal. The principal function of this structure is chiefly hydrostatic. The volume of gas in the swim bladder can be regulated, thereby altering the specific gravity of the fish. The gas is actively transported into the swim bladder from a network of small arteries (rete mirabile) through a modified ventral wall of the swim bladder called gas gland. Blood is supplied to the rete mirabile through a branch of the coeliaco-mesenteric artery and is returned to the heart through a vein joining the hepatic portal system. Absorption of gas from swim bladder takes place in the area of modified epithelium near the caudal end of the bladder called oval gland. The latter receives blood from the dorsal aorta and the blood returns from it through the posterior cardinal vein. By varying the amount of gas in the swim bladder, through secretion or absorption, the fish can adjust the specific gravity of its body as it moves from one depth to another.

15- Write on the arterial system of Oreochromis. -Arterial system:

a-Ventral aorta and afferent branchial arteries: The ventral aorta dilates at its base to form an oval-shaped non-contractile structure called bulbus arteriosus. Four pairs of afferent branchial arteries arise from the ventral aorta and run upward and distributing to capillaries in the gillfilaments for oxygenation. b-Efferent branchial arteries: These are four arteries carry oxygenated blood from gills on each side and extend upward and inward and open into the lateral dorsal aorta. The two lateral dorsal aortae join anteriorly and posteriorly to form a cephalic circle (circulus cephalicus). From this cephalic circle two arteries extend anteriorly and enter the head as internal carotid arteries. The dorsal aorta extends backwards beneath the vertebral column and gives off paired and median arteries to the viscera. The prominent branches of the dorsal aorta include paired subclavian arteries for the pectoral girdle, a median coeliaco-mesenteric artery for alimentary canal and air bladder, a median posterior mesenteric artery for the hind gut, a paired parietal arteries for lateral body muscles and a pair of renal arteries for kidneys. Finally, the dorsal aorta extends in the tail region as a caudal artery.

16-Give an account of the urinogenital system of Oreochromis

Urinogenital system a-Urinary system: The urinary system consists of two elongated kidneys extend close to the vertebral column and dorsal to the air bladder. From each kidney a small mesonephric duct extends posteriorly. The two mesonephric ducts unite to form a common mesonephric duct which swells up at the middle part to form the urinary bladder. b-The male genital system: The male genital system consists of two elongated whitish testes. Each testis gives a vas deferens at its posterior end. The two vasa defferentia unite to form a common vas deferens which joins the common mesonephric duct to form a urinogenital duct that opens to the exterior by the urinogenital opening. c-The female genital system: The female genital system consists of two large granulated ovaries especially in the breeding season. Each ovary leads to a short oviduct. The two oviducts unite to form a common oviduct that opens to the exterior by a separate genital opening between the anus and urinary opening. Oreochromis is oviparous and usually in spring and summer seasons. Eggs are small, yolky and non-floating. Male sheds its seminal fluid (milt) on the eggs during which fertilization takes place.