ANATOMÍA MACRO Y MICROSCÓPICA DEL SISTEMA DIGESTIVO DEL DENTÓN (Megaleporinus muyscorum) EN ETAPA ADULTA.

To study the gross and microscopic anatomy of the digestive system and adjoining organs (liver and pancreas) of Megaleporinus muyscorum, 25 adult specimens of both sexes, with a total length of 32.5 cm and 339 g, were euthanized. Serial 5 µm sections were obtained by paraffin technique and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. The mouth is relatively small in a subterminal position, with large flat teeth directed forwards, the gills are long, separated, and defined, the esophagus and stomach are short and muscular, and the latter is “V” shaped and low volumetric capacity. The pyloric ceca are digitiform and range between ten and 15, the intestine is relatively long, with little distention capacity and three convolutions. The liver is prominent, trilobed, and brownish, and the pancreas is diffuse. Histologically, the digestive system is composed of four layers: mucosa, submucosa, muscle, and serosa. The mucosa in the esophagus was made up of longitudinal folds and stratified flat epithelium with abundant goblet cells. The submucosa presented loose connective tissue in the three organs evaluated: the esophagus, stomach, and intestine. The muscular layer of the esophagus is made up of striated muscle with internal and external circular orientation, different from that reported for the stomach and intestine (smooth muscle with circular and longitudinal orientation). The structure of the digestive system of M. muyscorum is like that presented by other teleost, the position of the mouth and the teeth suggest that it has omnivorous feeding habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]