CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE PHARYNGEAL CAVITY OF THE LAUGHING DOVE (STREPTOPELIA SENEGALENSIS AEGYPTIACA) AND JAPANESE QUAIL (COTURNIX COTURNIX)

The purpose of this study was to investigate comparative morphology and morphometry of the pharyngeal cavity of laughing dove (LD) and Japanese quail (JQ) using seven adults of each bird. The length of the pharyngeal roof in JQ was double that of LD but that of the pharyngeal floor was nearly equal in both birds. The ratio of pharyngeal roof length to the total length of the oropharyngeal roof was 13.64% and 27.18% in LD and JQ respectively while that of the pharyngeal floor length constituted 34% in both birds. The surface of the pharyngeal roof in LD was free from papillae with few openings of the sphenopterygoid salivary glands, however, in JQ numerous openings of these glands were scattered between different sizes conical shaped pharyngeal papillae. The openings of the posterior lingual salivary glands at the root of tongue were numerous in LD but they were few in JQ. The laryngeal mound was triangular shape in LD and like heart on playing card in JQ. Behind to caudal commissure of the glottis, the caudal aspect of the laryngeal mound was characterized by V-shaped row of pyramidal-like papillae in LD. While in JQ these papillae which arranged in 3 transverse rows were conical shaped with pointed apices occupied the area extended from the caudal commissure of glottis to the pharyngoesophageal junction. In LD abundant openings of cricoarytenoid salivary glands were arranged in a longitudinal manner on each side of the caudal third of laryngeal mound but few numbers of them were observed in JQ.