Summary
The nine-banded armadillo possesses a salivary bladder which is a dilated portion of the main duct of the submandibular gland at its origin. The wall of the bladder is composed of an epithelium, a submucosa and a thick coat of skeletal muscle. The ultrastructure of the epithelium reveals that it is complex and consists of three cell types: 1) principal cells, 2) light cells, and 3) basal cells. The general organization of the epithelium suggests that it is a transporting type of epithelium such as that found in the amphibian and reptilian urinary bladders and the mammalian gall bladder. The submucosa is composed primarily of densely-packed collagen fibers. The skeletal muscle is very vascular and richly innervated.
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This study was supported in part by a research grant from U.S.P.H.S. (GRS 5-S01-RR-05705)
The authors wish to acknowledge the technical assistance of Elizabeth Underwood
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Ruby, J.R., Raworth Allen, E. Ultrastructure of the salivary bladder of the nine-banded armadillo. Cell Tissue Res. 169, 383–394 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00219609
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00219609