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The present study considers the important role of bone resorp! tion for bone growth in general\ and aims to clarify if and how bone resorption contributes to the skeletal development of carp\ Cyprinus carpio L[\ a teleost species with {normal| osteocyte! containing "cellular# bone[ To ensure the identi_cation of osteo! clasts and sites of bone resorption independently from the mor! phology of the bony cells\ bones were studied by histological procedures\ and by demonstration of the enzymes which serve as osteoclast markers\ viz[ tartrate resistant acid phosphatase "TRAP#\ ATPase and a vacuolar proton pump[ Two types of bone!resorbing cells were observed in juvenile carp] "0# multi! nucleated giant cells displaying morphological and biochemical attributes which are known from mammalian osteoclasts^and "b#~at cells which lack a visible ru/ed border and for which identi_cation requires the performance of enzyme histo! chemical procedures[ Bone resorption performed by osteoclasts mainly occurs at endosteal bone surfaces[ To a lesser extent\ bone resorption also takes place at periosteal bone surfaces\ but without an apparent connection to bone growth[ The latter observation\ and the occurrence of bone remodelling\ suggest that the endoskeleton of juvenile carp might be involved in mineral metabolism[ Morphological di}erences and bio! chemical similarities to bone resorption in teleosts with acellular bone are discussed[

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