Journal of Cytology & Histology

Histology and Histochemistry of the Oviduct of the Neotropical Tortoise Phrynops geoffroanus (Schweigger, 1812)

Abstract

Enely MS Firmiano, Nathália N Cardoso, Marcos AJ Santos, Bernadete M Sousa, Aparecida A Nascimento and Nadja L Pinheiro

Phrynops geoffronus is specie of reptile of the Testudines order, popularly known as Geoffroy’s side-necked turtle. As is the case of other representatives of this order, this turtle is also oviparous, meaning the females lay their eggs in the environment during reproduction. This work describes the morphology of the oviduct of P. geoffroannus, observed through light microscopy, contributing to the understanding of the reproductive biology of this species and of other reptiles. The oviducts of Geoffroy’s side-necked turtle were sectioned and processed according to the routine histological techniques and were submitted to histological and histochemical methods (HE, Mallory’s Trichrome, Ponceau Xylidine, AB pH 2.5, PAS). The oviduct of this turtle is composed of five regions: the infundibulum, which receives the oocytes released at the moment of ovulation; the uterine tube (magnum), a spiral-shaped region that produces albumin; the isthmus, a transition region; the uterus, where the egg shell is produced; and the vagina, the final part of the oviduct, which leads to the cloaca. The structure of the oviduct of P. geoffroannus is similar to that of other species of oviparous reptiles and can be used for phylogenetic morphological comparisons.