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Measurements have been made of those changes which lead to increases in the surface area of the intestine during the metamorphosis of three species of lampreys. Although the intestine of the Southern Hemisphere lamprey, Geotria australis, increases in length by 1.13 times and in diameter by 1.12 times, the main factor influencing the 5.71 times increase in surface area is the development of longitudinal folds. The contribution of the typhlosole to the internal perimeter of the intestine is less in most life cycle stages of G. australis than in Lampetra spp. The changes in the various intestinal measurements of the nonparasitic species L. planeri parallel those of the presumed ancestral parasitic species, L. fluviatilis, during the first six stages of metamorphosis. However, the longitudinal folds, but not the typhlosole, subsequently start regressing in L. planeri just after the time when the rate of gonadal development increases markedly. An account is also given of the pattern of fold formation and the development of the typhlosolar vein in G. australis.

This study demonstrates that the silver technique of Grimelius (Acta Soc. Med. Ups. 73:243–270, 68) is ideally suited for the study of cardiovascular chromaffin cells in lampreys. This method showed that in the Southern Hemisphere lamprey, Geotria australis, the distribution of chromaffin cells differs from that described for holarctic species. In G. australis, the chromaffin cells are found mainly in the sinus venosus, atrium, and nearby regions of the cardinal and jugular veins, and they are absent from the ventricle and conus arteriosus. The location and discreteness of the large accumulation of chromaffin cells in the lateral wall of the right posterior cardinal vein of adults resemble those of the precardiac axillary bodies of elasmobranchs. Chromaffin cells become more abundant during metamorphosis. The possible phylogenetic and functional significance of lamprey chromaffin cells is briefly discussed.

The morphology, cell types, and innervation of the several small papillae (x̄ = 17) and two larger papillae, which together form a ring just outside the fimbriae surrounding the suctorial disc of adult Geotria australis, have been studied using various histological stains, including silver impregnation, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The epithelium of all papillae consists almost entirely of mucigenic cells. The multivillous and oligovillous cells, which are found elsewhere in the lamprey epidermis, were not observed, and Merkel and polyvillous cells are rare. Free nerve endings are common, however, in the basal layers of the epidermis. Unlike the small papillae, the two large papillae contain a core of skeletal muscle and a prominent layer of dermal collagen. In the submucosa of these large papillae, the nerves form a dense, compact layer that contains many large and probably sensory axons. It is suggested that the oral disc papillae of adult G. australis are encapsulated mechanosensory structures that play a role in enabling the animal to locate and attach to a suitable point on host fishes or other surfaces.

Mordacia mordax is one of the two anadromous parasitic lamprey species of the southern hemisphere family Mordaciidae. Its adults possess two lateral buccal glands and one central buccal gland. When the tongue-like piston is retracted, the buccal glands occupy much of the opening of the oral cavity at the rear of the buccal cavity. The glands contain numerous tube-like, ductless secretory units, which discharge directly into the buccal cavity. Their secretory epithelial cells contain numerous granules, some of which are zymogen-like, while others have a beaded, spiralled appearance. The similarity of the latter to mast cell granules suggests that they may likewise produce an anticoagulant, which would be valuable to a presumed blood feeder such as M. mordax. The mucus produced by these cells could act as a carrier for the secretions and as an adhesive for promoting retention of t he secretions on the host's surface. When the young adults is transferred to salt water, the buccal glands increase their production and discharge of secretions. Since the glands are not enclosed in musculature, their secretions are probably discharged by mechanical pressure applied by the forward movement of the head of the tooth-bearing piston into the buccal cavity. An account is given of the way in which the location, number, glandular organization, secretory granules, and type of secretion of the buccal glands of M. mordax, and thus presumably also their mode of function, differ markedly from those of members of the other lamprey family found in the southern hemisphere, and of all holarrctic lampreys. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The buccal glands of adults of the Southern Hemisphere lamprey Geotria australis consist of a pair of small, bean-shaped, hollow sacs, embedded within the basilaris muscle in the region below the eyes and to either side of the piston cartilage. Each gland, which is lined by a simple columnar epithelium and surrounded by an incomplete layer of skeletal muscle, discharges its contents into the oral cavity via a long, narrow duct. In downstream migrating young adults, the epithelial cells are low columnar, intermediate in electron density, and contain dark-staining inclusions and numerous lipid-like droplets. After saltwater acclimation, the epithelial cells become taller and the numbers of dark-staining inclusions increase whereas those of lipid-like droplets decline. By the end of the marine phase, the epithelium is more folded and now also contains dark and light cells. The ultrastructure of the epithelium shows the characteristics of both apocrine and merocrine secretion. Although intra-epithelial nerve endings were not observed, axons and occasional neurons are present in the lamina propria. Since the skeletal muscle capsule is also well innervated and contains neurons, a local feed-back mechanism may regulate the release of buccal gland fluid by monitoring the luminal pressure. Contractions of the skeletal muscle capsule and movements of the basilaris muscle during feeding would presumably assist the movement of secretion along the duct. The secretion possesses anticoagulating and haemolytic properties.

The number of mucous, club, and granular cells in the epidermis, and the number of rows of subcutaneous adipose cells, as well as the thickness of the epidermis and the dermal collagen layer, have been recorded for the larval and metamorphosing stages of the anadromous parasitic lamprey, Lampetra fluviatilis, and for the larval, metamorphosing, and adult stages of the nonparasitic lamprey, Lampetra planeri. In L. fluviatilis, the mucous cells predominated in all stages but were more abundant in fully metamorphosed individuals than in larvae. During metamorphosis, the number of granular cells increased continuously, whereas the club cells showed little change. Although lampreys do not feed during metamorphosis, there was an increase in the thickness of the epidermis and in the dermal collagen sheath; the latter increase probably foreshadows the increase in activity by the adults. Simultaneously, there is a reduction in the subcutaneous fat layer, which can be attributed to mobilization of lipid as an energy source. Changes similar to those just described for L. fluviatilis were also found in metamorphosing L. planeri. However, the pattern altered markedly during adult stages in this nonparasitic species. There were marked declines in the number of cells, in the thickness of the epidermis, in the width of the collagen sheath, and in the quantity of subcutaneous fat.

The distribution and histology of zymogen cells and the activity of digestive enzymes have been examined in the alimentary canal of larval, metamorphosing (stages 1-7), and adult Geotria australis (Geotriidae). Comparisons of the arrangement of the larval and adult zymogen cells are made with those observed in Mordacia mordax, a representative of the other Southern Hemisphere lamprey family (Mordaciidae), and with those reported elsewhere for holarctic lampreys (Petromyzontidae). In larval G. australis, epithelial zymogen cells are mainly restricted to the prominent pair of tubular diverticula which project forward from the oesophageal/intestinal junction. By contrast, zymogen cells of adults are present in the epithelium of both the anterior intestine and the intestinal caecum, a structure located at the new and more anterior oesophageal/intestinal junction which forms during metamorphosis. Amylolytic activity was greater in the larval diverticula than in the adult caecum, whereas the reverse was true for tryptic activity. This feature presumably reflects the high dietary contribution made by detritus and algae during the filter-feeding larval phase and by host muscle tissue during the predatory adult phase. The high tryptic activity in the caecum must promote the early breakdown of host tissue and thereby facilitate the digestion of lipids in the anterior intestine where lipolytic activity is high. At the commencement of metamorphosis, digestive activity and the number of zymogen cells declines markedly. By stage 4 the intestine has rotated anticlockwise almost 360 degrees; the two larval diverticula have disappeared; and the new exocrine caecum of the adult has started to develop from a forward proliferation of intestinal mucosal cells. While the exocrine pancreatic tissue of larval M. mordax is unique amongst lampreys in its location within a single, large diverticulum containing an extensive network of mucosal folds, that of the adult is found in the same position as in G. australis and holarctic lampreys.

The location and arrangement of the pancreatic endocrine tissue in larval and adult Geotria australis (Geotriidae) differ markedly from those exhibited by the comparable stages of Northern Hemisphere lampreys (Petromyzontidae). In larval Geotria australis, the main zones of islet proliferation are located laterally between the oesophagus and the inner edge of the two large intestinal diverticula unique to this species rather than dorsal and ventral to the oesophagus. In adult Geotria australis, the islet follicles are closely packed into a single discrete capsule which could be easily removed surgically, rather than into cranial, intermediate, and caudal cords. The differences in the adult can be related to a lack of involvement of the bile duct in islet formation during metamorphosis. While B cells were found in both larval and adult islet follicles, the PI acidophilic cells and argyrophilic cells, which appeared respectively at stages 3 and 4 in metamorphosis, were present in all adult stages.