The torus longitudinalis in the gilthead seabream: an undescribed fiber tract link with the valvula cerebelli

J.A. Muñoz-Cueto1, C. Sarasquete2 and O. Kah3

1Department of Animal Biology, Vegetal Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Marine Sciences, University of Cádiz, Puerto Real, Cádiz, 2Institut of Marine of Sciences Andalucía, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Puerto Real, Cádiz and 3Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology of the Reproduction, UPRES-A 6026, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennens cedex, France

Offprint requests to: Dr. José Antonio Muñoz-Cueto, Departamento de Biología Animal, Vegetal y Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad de Cádiz, Polígono Río San Pedro, 11510 Puerto Real, Cádiz, Spain. e-mail: munoz.cueto@uca.es

Summary. In this paper, we present a brief anatomical description of the torus longitudinalis and the valvula cerebelli in a percomorph fish, the gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) based on the analysis of serial brain sections stained by paraldehyde fuchsin, Groat's hematoxylin-picroindigocarmin and cresyl violet. The existence of a small undescribed fiber tract directly bridging the ventral torus longitudinalis and the granular layer of the rostral valvula cerebelli is also reported. This small fiber tract was observed in its integrity on a few transverse sections providing that the angle of sectioning was appropiate. The existence of the anatomical link between the TL and the VC described in this paper might sustain the role of the TL as part of an ascending cerebello-tectal circuit, at least in gilthead seabream. However, these fibers might also represent fibers of passage originating from other brain structures. Histol Histopathol 13, 391-394 (1998)

Key words: Torus longidinalis, Valvula cerebelli, Gilthead seabream, Fiber tract

DOI: 10.14670/HH-13.391