Comparative Study on the Kidneys of Ptychadena mascarenensis and Chalcides ocellatus ocellatus in Relation to Their Environment

Abstract

Background: The kidneys manage body fluids and electrolytes in addition to performing osmoregulation and metabolic waste disposal. The goal of the present study was to investigate the structural characteristics of the kidneys of two tetrapod species; Ptychadena mascarenensis (Mascarene frog) and Chalcides ocellatus ocellatus (Ocellated skink) concerning their habitat, which could be linked to unique structural renal differences. Methods: During December 2020, four specimens of each species were obtained from various locations in Egypt. The animals were captured alive and were suffocated by inhaling chloroform. There kidneys were removed and processed for morphological, histological and electron microscopy examinations. Result: Ptychadena mascarenensis and Chalcides ocellatus ocellatus have groups of nephrons in their kidneys and each nephron consists of a renal corpuscle, an intermediate segment, a proximal tubule, a distal tubule and a collecting duct system. The renal corpuscles and tubules were dispersed throughout the cortex and medulla of both species so the cortex and medulla were not differentiated. In the two tetrapod classes Amphibia (Ptychadena mascareniensis) and Reptilia (Chalcides ocellatus ocellatus), some differences in the morphological, histological and ultrastructural features of the kidney have been identified. Animals use each of these structures to help them adapt to their surroundings.