Ultrastructural Aspects of the Endolymphatic Organ in the Frog Rana esculenta

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Abstract
Morphological evidence indicates that the endolymphatic sac of anuran amphibians is involved in the morphogenesis of most statoconia (aragonite crystals). The cells frequently show the aspect of an intense secretory activity, their cytoplasm being totally occupied by a number of vesicles the contents of which might be expelled into the lumen forming the organic—or at times mineral—components of statoconia. Moreover, evidence is presented that another function of the endolymphatic sac might be involvement in a resorptive mechanism for endolymph and for CaCO3 mobilization from aragonite crystals. In fact, these show clear signs of erosion, consistent with a role as a labile calcium deposit played by the calcareous formations of the endolymphatic sac.