Ultrastructure of the Oropharyngeal Cavity Floor of the Red Porgy (Pagrus pagrus) by Light and Scanning Electron Microscopy

The current research aim is an ultrastructural examination of the floor of the oropharyngeal cavity of the red porgy fish. The study used gross morphology, light and scanning electron microscopy, and morphometric analysis. The teeth are arranged in anterior and posterior rows with differing heights along the entire length of the lower jaw. The labial teeth were long papilliform (canine like), medium, and short papilliform teeth. The teeth had a central pulp cavity and were surrounded by a thick dentine ridge covered in enamel. The pharyngeal teeth appeared in a V-shaped structure after the end of the interbranchial septum. There were three sizes of pharyngeal teeth: long, medium, and short. The apical pouch appeared on the lateral sides of the tongue. The tongue had a bulged mountaintop in the center and lateral sides with sea-wave-like longitudinal ridges with sloping grooves between them. The whole tongue surface had longitudinal ridges and sharp transverse ridges that appeared thorn like at the tongue root. Many sizes of pointed papillae were visible along the tongue surface. Ruffini corpuscles have been discovered in the tongue's conical and dome-shaped papillae. The red porgy's teeth and tongue papillae have distinct structural characteristics that are reflected in their carnivorous behavior.