Abstract
Corpora Lutea in Elasmobranchs THE fact that in an elasmobranch, Myliobatus bovina, after ovulation the follicle is transformed into a glandular organ was first reported by Giocomini in 1896. The formation and structure of this gland in another batoid, Rhinobatus granulatus, investigated more fully and by more modern methods, have been recorded by Miss Mary Samuel (Proc. Indian Acad. Sci., 18; 1943). This gland, a corpus luteum, is formed after the discharge of the ovum in a manner homologous with that in mammals. The luteal cells are derived from the follicular epithelium and invading cells of the theca interna, while intrusions of the theca externa accompanied by blood vessels without either the hypertrophy or luteinization of its cells provides a framework. It is noted that the fully formed corpus closely resembles that of a mammal, but it also has its own distinctive characteristics. In the mammal the corpus luteum is associated with the maintenance of pregnancy, a typical mammalian function, and its presence in an active state appears to suppress ovulation., Miss Samuel, however, records that each ovary in Rhinobatus may contain twenty corpora lutea in all stages of development, from newly formed to fully active glands and also maturing follicles.
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Research Items. Nature 155, 180–181 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1038/155180a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/155180a0