Abstract

The histology of healthy tissues has to be known in detail if the damage caused by diseases, pollution and maladies is to be identified. Strombus gigas Linnaeus, 1758 (Prosobranchia, Mesogastropoda, Strombacea, Strombidae) is a species under severe stress, caused by the reduction of its populations and pollution of coastal waters where it inhabits. Epithelia are important structures of gastropod anatomy, aiding in locomotion, physical and chemical interaction with the environment, respiration among others. In this investigations three males and three females were sampled from Alacranes reef, 22°22'96"N 89°41'03"W, North of Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. They had a shell length of 228 mm (±20) and a lip thickness of 16 mm (±1.8 mm). Each individual were remove from fue shell and a 1cm3 section of the mantle were fixed in Davidson's A.F.A. solution for four days, rinsed in alcohol at 70 %, dehydrated in alcohol at 70%, 96%, 100%, clarified in Benzene, and inclusion in "Paraplast" synthetic paraffin (Avila 2001). Six microns sections were made with rotary microtome and were mounted on glass slides with Meyer's albumin. For staining was used Harris Hematoxiline B Yellow Eosine (HHE2), regressive method (Howard and Smith 1983).\Were described the different epithelia found on the side and sole of the foot. Side epithelia present two different characteristics: 1) Glandular cylindric ciliated epithelia that forros tubular folds and 2) Cylindrical pseudo-stratified epithelia forming irregular sinuosities. The epithelia of the sole presents two different type of cells: 1) The cells contiguous to the foot side are cylindrical, and 2) the sole presents pseudo-stratified cylindrical ciliated epithelia, forming twinned low rigs. The glandular structure of the foot side has a lubricating function, evidenced by secretion granules and mucus, while the rigs on the sole aid on a caterpillar sort of locomotion, characteristics that are present through the Gastropod class, but have a different degree of development in the diverse families and modes of life.

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