Micromorphology of the third ventricular ependyma and infundibular recess in the mud-eel Amphipnous cuchia (Ham.).

Ependymal cells of varied size and shape including tanycytes with long basal processes are encountered both in the third ventricle and infundibular recess of A. cuchia. The basal processes of the tanycytes may be branched or unbranched and often lie in contact with each other or even from loose bundles. They also terminate on, or maintain close contact with the neurons of the nucleus lateralis tuberis, blood vessels, axonal tract of the nucleus preopticus and other neuronal elements. Golgi-Cox technique is apparently selective in its impregnation of both neurons and tanycytes. Prominent apical processes of some cells project into the ventricle. Some supraependymal cellular elements have their entire cell body projecting into the ventricle. The ependymal cells react positively to alkaline phosphatase and ascorbic acid tests.