The morphology and histological structure of two adult Brandt’s hedgehog, Paraechinus hypomelas, (Brandt, 1836) tongue were examined by light and scanning electron microscopy. On the dorsal surface of the tongue, three types of papillae were observed: filiform, fungiform and vallate papillae. Apex and corpus of the tongue as well as the lateral surface of the corpus were covered with numerous filiform papillae with bifurcated tip, while the epithelium lining the ventral lingual surface was free from papillae. Discoid shape fungiform papillae were scattered over the entire surface of the lingual apex, corpus and lateral surface uniformly between the filiform ones without regional variation in number and size. Three elliptical or oval vallate papillae in an inverted triangle form were found on the root of the tongue. Each papilla had a lobulated and very irregular dorsal surface. Both fungiform and vallate papillae contain taste buds. The foliate papillae was absent. Overall, the present findings reveal that despite some similarities, the lingual papillae of the Brandt’s hedgehog as an omnivore animal has spices-specific characteristics compare to the Erinaceous auritus as an insectivore species. This finding provides a set of basic data about the morphology of tongue and its lingual papillae in Brandt’s hedgehog.

The present study investigated the structure of the dorsal lingual surface tongue of the toad, Bufo bufo habitat in the west of Iran. The tongue of the toad contains two types of lingual papillae; fungiform papillae and filiform papillae. The fungiform papillae are usually scattered among the filiform papillae and are believed to function in gustation and in the secretion of salivary fluid. Light microscopic observations showed that a non-keratinised pseudo stratified columnar epithelium with ciliated cells lined the lingual papillae. Scanning electron microscopic examinations revealed that a taste disc (honeycomb) was located at the apical surface of each fungiform papillae. The surface of the disc had a latticework pattern. However, no ciliated cells were observed in the surrounding area of the sensory disc. As a result, the morphology of the lingual epithelium of the Bufo Bufo is species-specific. However, it is somewhat similar to that of Bufo japonicus and distinctly different from that of Bufo regularis.