Ultrastructural Studies on the Epidermis of Adult Octopus Vulgaris Cuvier, 1797

Abstract

The epidermis of the ventral funnel and the mantle of adult Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 consists of a single layer of cells. The ectodermal epidermis rests on a basal lamina and supported by connective tissue and body musculature. The epidermis is composed of several distinct cell types named: columnar cells, glial cells, tuft cells, and gland cells. The cell types appear in all of the studied samples, apart from the tuft cell, which has been observed only in the funnel epidermis up to now. A description of their fine structure is given and a functional interpretation is attempted. Adult O, vulgaris exhibits the same general features in this organ as in other studied examples of molluscan epidermis.