THE ADHESIVE ORGANS OF AMIA

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Abstract
The development of the adhesive organs in Amia begins about 70 hours after fertilization when the embryo extends over about 16o degrees of the circumference of the egg. They appear as paired thickenings of the dorso-lateral portion of the anterior end of the foregut. They are therefore entodermal in origin. They grow out as paired diverticula of the foregut, break through the epidermis, become greatly subdivided and form a horseshoe-shaped structure at the end of the snout. Histologically they consist of high columnar epithelial cells. These cells are at first heavily laden with yolk granules especially at their base. They contain a reticulum coarser at the base. Metabolic activity is at first greater at the basal end of the cells but later it is greater at the distal end. The function of these cells is undoubtedly to secrete a mucous substance by means of which the young fishes attach themselves to plants or other fixed bodies. They function as secreting organs till they sink below the epidermis. The organs reach the highest stage of their development just after hatching. They are functional for about a week and disappear in two or three weeks. The mode of disappearance is probably by cytolysis.

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