Comparative morphology of the adrenal gland in selected species of the genus Podarcis

Abstract

AbstractThe morphology of the adrenal gland and relationships between noradrenalin (NA) and adrenalin (A) cells were studied in selected species of the genus Podarcis. As in other previously-studied genera, the morphology of the adrenal gland is not homogeneous, and the species examined can be divided into two groups according to the relationship between chromaffin and steroidogenic tissue. Podarcis taurica and P. hispanica, in which the two tissues are strongly separated, belong to one group. P. wagleriana, P. muralis, P. sicula, P. pelofionnesiaca and P. melisellensis belong to a second group in which dorsal chromaffin ribbons send digitations between the steroidogenic cords. The NA/A cell ratio is higher in species of the first group than in those of the second.