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ABSTRACT
The morphology of the adult African catfish transverse septum was studied to establish its functional anatomy as there is dearth of information on it from available literature. The fish sourced from commercial aquaculture was immobilized and the specimen- transverse septum dissected out, and investigated using haematoxyline and eosin stain. Grossly, the septum transversum was a milkish white membranous sheath separating the pericardial cavity from the thoraco-abdominal cavity. Histologically, the septum transversum was lined by simple squamous cells. The subepithelial region was composed mainly of loose irregular collagen fibres. Reticular fibres were also observed. Muscle tissue of mainly skeletal fibres and scant smooth muscle cells were seen embedded irregularly in the loose areolar tissue. Nerve fibres and blood vessels were also contained in this loose areolar tissue that formed the matrix of the septum transversum.
Keywords: Histology, Transverse septum, African Catfish .
The body coelomic cavities in teleosts have been described to include pericardial and pleuriperitoneal cavities. Whereas the pericardial cavity houses the heart, the pleuriperitoneal cavity contains visceral organs like liver, spleen, stomach and gonads. The septum transversum has been documented to be the membranous sheath separating the pericardial cavity from plueriperitoneal cavity (Farag et al., 2014); as the teleost does not possess the typical mammalian diaphragm separating the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity.
Whereas the presence of this transverse septum ST, has been reported in the scaled common carp fish- Cyprimis carpió (Farag et al, 2014). The hypoplasia/aplasia of septum transversum in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar has been reported (Poppe et al, 1998); but there is no report on its morphology in the fanned African catfish from available literature. The African catfish is an important culture fish species in Nigerian commercial aquaculture (Emokaro et al., 2010). Hence, this study that will fill this dearth in information especially its histology. It will also help clinicians in disease diagnosis including neoplasia and congenital anonnalies of the sheath.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Five adult African catfish sourced from a commercial aquaculture in Eastern Nigeria were used for the study. They weighed an...