TRACES OF LIMBS IN LIVING GYMNOPHIONA (AM PHIBIA)

The study of radiographs of Ichthyophis glutinosus from Ceylan shows t he presence of very small well mineralized nodules at the level of the distal extremity of the rib articulated on the fifth or the sixth ver tebra. The histological study of 41 embryos of Typhlonectes compressic audus, from French Guyana, and the morphological study of a score of s pecimens at different developmental stages (from 15 to 28) reveal symm etrical small blastemae, located between the somatopleural and the ect odermal layers. They appear at the level of a laterodorsal body swelli ng, in the region between the third and the sixth mesodermal segments, at the stage 23. The great cellular activity of these blastemae, reve aled by an intense staining of RNA, decreases from stages 24 and 25. I t becomes weak at stage 26, and also at stage 27 with the external swe lling disappearing, which occurs before blastema reduction at stage 28 and their disappearance at stage 29. The vertebral level concerned se ems to the location of the pectoral limb of Eocaecilia micropodia (JEN KINS & WALSH, 1993). These observations are disconcerting in relation with the remark of Sarasin & Sarasin (1887-1890), but do not constitut e unquestionable prooves of girdle and limb rudiments in living gymnop hiona.