Sj. Rehorek et al., Can an orbital gland function in the vomeronasal sense? A study of the pygopodid Harderian gland, CAN J ZOOL, 78(4), 2000, pp. 648-654
Citations number
41
Categorie Soggetti
Animal Sciences
Journal title
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY-REVUE CANADIENNE DE ZOOLOGIE
The Harderian gland occurs in the orbit of most tetrapod vertebrates. A gro
wing body of evidence suggests that this gland is associated with the chemo
receptive function of the vomeronasal organ. In the present study, the morp
hology of the Harderian gland in two species of pygopodids was examined, an
d the results were contrasted with those from both geckos and snakes. The r
esults show that the pygopodid Harderian gland shares histochemical and ult
rastructural features with that of the geckos. However, in several gross mo
rphological features, the pygopodid Harderian gland more closely resemble t
hat of snakes than that of geckos. In both pygopodids and snakes, the nasol
acrimal duct forms a direct link between the Harderian gland and the vomero
nasal organ, which indicates that this specialized connection between the H
arderian gland and vomeronasal organ is a convergent evolutionary attribute
of these two groups.