Carbohydrate‐containing endothelial cells lining the bulbus arteriosus of teleosts and the conus arteriosus of elasmobranchs (Pisces)

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Abstract
The study is a survey of the shape and carbohydrate histochemistry of the endothelial cells lining the conus arteriosus of 10 species of elasmobranchs and the bulbus arteriosus of 80 species of teleosts. Intensely PAS‐positive cells that were often tall, were found in many teleosts and were typical of phylogenetically advanced species. They were not seen in any elasmobranch. Most of the teleosts with strongly PAS‐positive cells were marine fish or euryhaline animals that were caught in freshwater. Beyond this, it is difficult to generalize on their life‐style or habitat, for they included small fish, large fish, fast swimmers, bottom‐living forms, deep‐water fish, littoral species and Antarctic “bloodless” forms. It is likely that the PAS‐positivity of the endothelial cells can be attributed to the moderately‐dense granules revealed by E.M., but as yet the significance of these is unclear.