Neurosecretory cells in the central nervous system of the giant garden slug, Limax maximus.

The neurosecretory system of the giant garden slug Limax maximus was studied using the alcian blue/alcian yellow (AB/AY) staining technique for neurosecretion. Stainable cells could be identified in the paired cerebral, pleural, parietal, and buccal ganglia, and in the visceral ganglion. The cells occur as single cells or in groups of up to 100, with diameters ranging between 10 and 70 mu m. Axon tracts could only be traced for a small number of cells; neurohemal areas were not conclusively identified. The morphological similarities of the neurosecretory system of L. maximus is compared with that of other investigated stylommatophoran slugs.