| The decapod crustacean hepatopancreas is a conspicuous and bilobated gland composed of simple, blind-ended tubules, which opens into the pyloric stomach. The gland is completely surrounded by connective tissue which limits also the tubules. In this work midgut gland cells of Argentine shrimp Pleoticus muelleri were investigated under light microscopy. Each tubule has three defined zones: distal, middle and proximal. Four cell types, E-cells (embryonic), F (fibrillar), R (resorptive) and B (secretory) form the epithelium. The histology of the hepatopancreas of P. muelleri is described, emphasizing the particularities in this species whose general features can be compared to that of other decapod crustaceans. |
