Gastrointestinal tract and accessory organs in the spotted bent-toed gecko, cyrtodactylus peguensis (boulenger, 1893): A histological and histochemical study

Abstract

The spotted bent-toed gecko Cyrtodactylus peguensis is one of the exploited reptiles in Thailand. In order to provide basic information for the digestive system of this species, we have examined histologically the gastrointestinal and accessory organs of C. peguensis using routine methods. The gastrointestinal region of this reptile started from the stomach and the intestine. The stomach was separated into fundic and pyloric regions. In both regions, the stomach wall was formed by four distinct tissue layers, including mucosa, submucosa, muscularis, and serosa layers. Mucous neck cells and oxynticopeptic cells were identified as glycoprotein-producing cells in the stomach by Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining. The small and large intestines shared many histological characteristics, but the former contained more intestinal folds, while the latter had more PAS-positive goblet cells. Histological characteristics of accessory organs, liver and pancreas, were also provided. Overall, the gastrointestinal and accessory organs of C. peguensis were largely similar to those from other reptiles, but fine structural information will open up considerable opportunities to further studies related to the endocrinology, the physiology, and the conservation of this species.