THE ANTERIOR SALIVARY GLAND OF THE OCTOPUS (OCTOPUS VULGARIS) AND ITS MUCOUS SECRETION * , †

T h e o c t o p u s p o i s o n a p p a r a t u s c o n s i s t s of t w o p a i r s of s a l i v a r y g l a n d s w h i c h o p e n i n t o t h e b u c c a l mass. T h e s h o r t d u c t s o f t h e smallet ( a n t e r i o t ) p a i r a r e s e p a r a t e a n d e n t e r from e a c h s i d e . T h e s e c r e t i o n s of t h e p o s t e r i o r p a i r a r e j o i n e d by s h o t t d u c t s a n d c o n v e y e d to t h e b u c c a l c a v i t y by a s i n g l e l o n g e r d u c t w h i c h e n t e r s t h e p o s t e r i o t a s p e c t of t h e b u c c a l mass . H i s t o l o g i c a l l y , t h e s e g l a n d s a te v e r y d i f fe ten t . T h e p o s t e r i o r p a i r , t h e p o i s o n o u s s e c t e t i o n of w h i c h h a s b e e n w e l l s t u d i e d , a r e c o n s t r u c t e d o f b r a n c h e d , c o n v o l u t e d t u b u l e s c o n t a i n e d w i t h i n a m e s e n c h y m a t o u s mass. T h e t i s s u e o f t h e a n t e r i o r pa i r is t r a b e c u l a t e d by a c o n n e c t i v e t i s s u e m e m b t a n e , w h i c h forms a b a s e m e n t for the s e c r e t o r y e p i t h e l i u m o f t h i s gland. A c i n a r s p a c e s a r e formed a n d l i n e d w i t h s e c r e t o r y cells, w h i c h c a n b e s e e n i n all stages o f s e c r e t ion v a r y i n g i n h e i g h t from c u b o i d a l to c o l u m n a r and c o n t a i n i n g a p r o f u s i o n o f s e c r e t o r y d r o p l e t s o r g r a n u l e s (see F I G U R E 1). Within t h e a c i n i l a k e s o f p a l e p r o t e i n m a t e r i a l c a n b e s e e n . T h e l i t e r a t u r e d e a l i n g with t h e func t ion a n d t h e n a t u r e of t h e s e c r e t i o n from t h e a n t e r i o r g l a n d is r a t h e r s p a r s e . U s u a l l y , i t is s i m p l y r e g a r d e d a s a m u c u s s e c r e t i n g organ . T h e o b s e r v a t i o n s r e p o r t e d h e r e r e p r e s e n t a p r e l i m i n a r y a n a l y s i s o f t h e g l a n d a n d i ts in u co u s p r o d u c t s 1