Morphology of the male reproductive tract of Eira barbara.

Eira barbara, popularly known as irara, is a medium-sized carnivore member of the Mustelidae family. Despite its important role in the ecosystems in which its lives, data on the internal morphology of E. barbara remains scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to provide knowledge regarding the anatomy of the male reproductive system of this species to improve understanding of its reproduction to inform its conservation. We studied seven specimens who had died after being run over. The specimens were dissected for the evaluation of the reproductive system, which comprised a globular scrotum; a small pendulum covered with light-coloured hair; a pair of testicles of firm consistency and ellipsoid shape and suspended in the scrotum by the spermatic cord; a paired duct system; an ampoule of the deferens duct and prostate constituting the set of attached glands; a urethra divided into pelvic and penile portions; a penis with a baculum having a novel "C" shaped apex; and a prepuce. Microscopically, the testicular parenchyma consisted of seminiferous tubules separated by intertubular spaces formed by loose connective tissue, fibrocytes, Leydig cells, and blood and lymph vessels. The epididymis was surrounded by a capsule of dense connective tissue and extended to form septa. The baculum was microscopically classified as a compact bone containing several bony lamellae with osteocytes and osteoblasts. The macro and microscopic findings were generally similar to those of domestic carnivores, with some notable differences.

Papillary architecture in the tayra tongue.

The tayra (Eira barbara) is a mammal belonging to the Mustelidae family that occurs in all Brazilian biomes. The present work aimed to describe the morphology of the tongue of these specimens highlighting their structures and particularities that will serve as a subsidy to elucidate the anatomy of the same and for comparative studies among other species of domestic and wild animals. Five adult male specimens of E. barbara were studied, which were fixed using 10% aqueous formaldehyde solution. The tongue was removed by opening the oral cavity and separating the maxillary/mandible bone complex. Being in possession of the material, photodocumentations and collection of the fragments were made for the proper preparation of histological slides and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The lingual papillae found in tayra were mechanical: filiform and conical; and gustative: fungiform and circumvallated. Histologically, the papillae are constituted by keratinized stratified epithelium and in the innermost region, it was composed of tissue connective dense unshaped followed by a layer of muscle bundles of skeletal striated. In the region of the root of the tongue of E. barbara, there were a set of small mixed salivary glands (serous and mucous) and the punctual presence of gustatory corpuscles at the level of epithelium. The morphological description of the E. barbara tongue revealed similarity to that described in literature for other domestic and wild mammals. However, the particularity of the absence of foliate papilla and the quantitative of four papillae circumvallate in the region of the root of the tongue of this species.

Mammary gland morphology in the northern Amazon red squirrel (Sciurus igniventris) / Morfologia da glândula mamária em esquilo do Norte Amazônico (Sciurus igniventris)

Sciurus igniventris is a squirrel with broad distribution in South America. We examined one female adult specimen which was donated after death by trampling. The aim of this work was describe the morphological characteristics of mammary gland of one specimen. The body was fixed using 10% aqueous formaldehyde. Tissues were processed and slides prepared following standard histological protocols. Morphological analysis of the mammary glands revealed similarities to those described in the literature for domestic and wild mammals. As special features in kind, macroscopically identified a pair of thoracic glands, followed by three pairs of abdominal glands. Microscopically the abundant presence of connective tissue dividing the alveolar-tubular glands. Similar to that described for domestic and wild mammals.

Sciurus igniventris é um esquilo com distribuição na América do Sul. Nós examinamos uma fêmea adulta que foi doada após morte por atropelamento. O objetivo do trabalho foi descrever as características morfológicas da glândula mamária de um exemplar da espécie. O animal foi fixado utilizando solução aquosa de formoldeído a 10%. Os tecidos foram processados e lâminas foram preparadas seguindo protocolos histológicos padrões. A análise morfológica da glândula mamária revelou similaridades com o que temos descrito na literatura para animais domésticos e selvagens. Como particularidades na espécie, macroscopicamente foi identificado um par de glândulas torácicas, seguidas por três pares de glândulas abdominais. Microscopicamente ocorreu a presença abundante de tecido conectivo dividindo as glândulas túbuloalveolares. Semelhante ao descrito para mamíferos domésticos e selvagens.