Morphology of the Epidermis of the Neotropical Catfish Pimelodella lateristriga (Lichtenstein, 1823) with Emphasis in Club Cells

Abstract

The epidermis of Ostariophysi fish is composed of 4 main cell types: epidermal cells (or filament containing cells), mucous cells, granular cells and club cells. The morphological analysis of the epidermis of the catfish Pimelodella lateristriga revealed the presence of only two types of cells: epidermal and club cells. The latter were evident in the middle layer of the epidermis, being the largest cells within the epithelium. Few organelles were located in the perinuclear region, while the rest of the cytoplasm was filled with a non-vesicular fibrillar substance. Club cells contained two irregular nuclei with evident nucleoli and high compacted peripheral chromatin. Histochemical analysis detected prevalence of protein within the cytoplasm other than carbohydrates, which were absent. These characteristics are similar to those described to most Ostariophysi studied so far. On the other hand, the epidermal cells differ from what is found in the literature. The present study described three distinct types, as follows: superficial, abundant and dense cells. Differences among them were restricted to their cytoplasm and nucleus morphology. Mucous cells were found in all Ostariophysi studied so far, although they were absent in P. lateristriga, along with granular cells, also typical of other catfish epidermis. The preset study corroborates the observations on club cells' morphology in Siluriformes specimens, and shows important differences in epidermis composition and cell structure of P. lateristriga regarding the literature data.

Skin extract from Rhamdia quelen(Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) does not promote stress in conspecifics

“…We have here demonstrated that club cells are indeed present in high density in the skin of the jundiá, that these cells are large and rounded, and located in the middle of the stratified epithelium. Interestingly, club cells of R. quelen are binucleated, as has been found for other catfishes (e.g., Chapman & Johnson, 1997;Smith, 2000;Guerra et al, 2006;Damasceno et al, 2012) suggesting an intense cell metabolic activity; the significance of this finding, however, remains to be clarified.…”

“…In Characiformes, which features the largest number of species assessed in this context, alarm responses to alarm cells substances have been reported, for example, in Brycon amazonicus (Honda et al, 2008); Brycon cephalus (Ide et al, 2003); Gymnocharacinus bergi (Cordi et al, 2005); Leporinus macrocephalus (Alves et al, 2013); Leporinus piau ; Mimagoniates lateralis and M. microlepis (Duboc, 2007), and Piaractus mesopotamicus (Jordão & Volpato, 2000). In the Siluriformes, the second order most studied in this context, six species have been evaluated: Arius felis (e.g., Smith 2000), Clarias gariepinus (e.g., Guerra et al, 2006;van de Nieuwegiessen et al, 2008;van de Nieuwegiessen et al, 2009), Ictalurus punctatus (e.g., Chapman & Johnson, 1997;Valentic & Caprio, 1994), Pimelodella lateristriga (e.g., Damasceno et al, 2012), Pseudoplatystoma corruscans (e.g., Giaquinto & Volpato, 2001). However, only two studies were found about the role of epithelial alarm cells on behavioral responses in jundiá, R. quelen.…”

Morphological specializations of the epidermis of an angler catfish Chaca chaca (Siluriformes, Chacidae) in relation to its ecological niche: A scanning electron microscopic investigation

“…Mittal, Garg, and Verma () described the surface architecture of the skin of a catfish, Bagarius bagarius . More recently, Damasceno, Monteiro, Duboc, Dolder, and Mancini () examined the morphology of the epidermis, using scanning electron microscope, of the skin of Pimelodella lateristriga . Joshi, Bisht, and Agarwal () gave an account of different types of adaptive modifications, using scanning electron microscope, in the general body epidermis, snout, lip, adhesive apparatus and paired fin of Pseudochenei sulcatus .…”

Comparative Structural Organization of Skin in Red-Tail Shark(Epalzeorhynchos Bicolor) and Guppy (Poecilia Reticulata)

“…The skin is self active secretory organ that their cellular components provide many useful products. Goblet cells secrete mucus that keep the body surfaces moist and protect it from stressors [2], club cells produce the alarm substances that initiate the alarm reaction [3] and melanocytes produce pigments to provide the fish with specific colorations [4]. The skin is also a vehicle for coetaneous sense organs that allowed the fish for detection of predators and foods.…”