Geerinckx Tom, De Poorter Joris, Adriaens Dominique
Evolutionary Morphology of Vertebrates, Ghent University-UGent, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
J Morphol. 2007 Sep;268(9):805-14. doi: 10.1002/jmor.10547.
Loricariidae or suckermouth armored catfishes are one of several aquatic taxa feeding on epilithic and epiphytic algae. Their upper and lower jaws bear exquisitely curved teeth, which usually are asymmetrically bicuspid. The enlarged lower lip carries papillae with keratinous unicellular epidermal brushes or unculi. Teeth, and probably unculi too, assist in scraping food off substrates. Their morphology, growth, and replacement is examined and compared among several loricariid species, using cleared and stained specimens, serial sections, and SEM. Apart from the general tooth form and crown shape, the anterior layer of soft tissue on the lower shaft region, present in several species, appears to be a specialization for enhancing the mobility of individual teeth when scraping on uneven surfaces. During early ontogeny, a transition from simple conical to mature tooth occurs. The first unculi appear together with the first teeth carrying a bicuspid crown, 2 days after the first exogenous feeding, but synchronous with the complete resorption of the yolk sac.
甲鲶科或吸口甲鲶是以石生藻类和附生藻类为食的几种水生类群之一。它们的上下颌长有极其弯曲的牙齿，这些牙齿通常不对称地呈双尖状。扩大的下唇带有乳突，乳突上有角质单细胞表皮刷或小钩。牙齿，可能还有小钩，有助于从基质上刮下食物。利用透明和染色标本、连续切片和扫描电子显微镜，对几种甲鲶科物种的牙齿形态、生长和替换进行了研究和比较。除了一般的牙齿形态和牙冠形状外，几种物种在下颌轴区域前部的软组织层似乎是一种特化结构，可在不平表面刮擦时增强单个牙齿的活动能力。在个体发育早期，会出现从简单圆锥形牙齿到成熟牙齿的转变。第一批小钩与第一批带有双尖牙冠的牙齿一起出现，在首次外源摄食后2天，但与卵黄囊完全吸收同步。
