Ultrastructural aspects of metamorphic development of sensory ganglia in Bufo calamita.

This EM investigation was undertaken with tadpoles of Bufo to study the fine structure of dorsal root ganglia at two different metamorphic stages. Ultrastructural examinations revealed a progressive development in the case of thoracic and lumbar sensory ganglia. The end of metamorphosis, however, did not mean the attainment of ganglion maturation which must continue through the juvenile life. By contrast, tail sensory ganglia became affected by a degenerative process that finishes at the end of metamorphosis with the total resorption of the tail.