Redins C A, Machado A B
Rev Bras Biol. 1989 May;49(2):429-34.
The pineal organs of 10 species of tinamid birds belonging to the genera Crypturellus, Nothura, Rhynchotus and Tinamus were studied in serial microscopic sections of the entire medial region of the brain. All were located in a triangular space formed by the cerebral hemispheres and the cerebellum. They have the form of a club with the enlarged distal part enclosed in the dura-mater. In all species the pineal is formed of tubulofollicular structures, the walls of which are covered by a pseudo-stratified epithelium with elongated cells. In Rhynchotus and Nothura there is a predominance of small follicles with a reduced lumen and a regular outline, whereas in Tinamus and Crypturellus there is a predominance of large follicles with a wide lumen and an irregular outline. Our results show that morphological organization of the pineal organs in tinamids is similar to that observed for the majority of modern birds, in spite of the fact that they are generally regarded as very primitive.
对属于隐鹑属、侏三趾鹑属、纹三趾鹑属和凤头三趾鹑属的10种三趾鹑科鸟类的松果体器官进行了研究，研究材料为整个脑内侧区域的连续显微切片。所有松果体均位于由大脑半球和小脑形成的三角形空间内。它们呈棒状，远端膨大并被硬脑膜包裹。在所有物种中，松果体均由管状滤泡结构构成，其管壁覆盖有一层由细长细胞组成的假复层上皮。在纹三趾鹑属和侏三趾鹑属中，以管腔缩小且轮廓规则的小滤泡为主，而在凤头三趾鹑属和隐鹑属中，则以管腔宽阔且轮廓不规则的大滤泡为主。我们的研究结果表明，尽管三趾鹑通常被认为是非常原始的鸟类，但其松果体器官的形态结构与大多数现代鸟类相似。
