Meeting Abstract

95.1  Thursday, Jan. 7  The progressive adaptation degrees in the lipid storage structure of cave crayfishes MEJIA-ORTIZ , L. M.*; LOPEZ-MEJIA, M.; Biospeleology & Carcinology Lab. Universidad de Quintana Roo; Evolutionary Biology & Population Genetics, Universidad de Quintana Roo luismejia@uqroo.mx

We made a histological analysis of hepatopancreas structure of three crayfishes species. Two from karst caves: Procambarus cavernicola and Procambarus oaxacae reddelli, and the third from epigeal river nearby Procambarus olmecorum in order to determine the adaptation degree to cave life in relationship with this structure. The histology of the organ was examined by paraffin sections; the tissues were dehydrated in ethanol, and transferred through methylbenzoate into paraplast. Sections of 5 µm were stained with haematoxylin-eosin method (HE). We found that the cave species develop different tubules in their hepatopancreas structure. However, there are evident differences between Procambarus cavernicola and Procambarus oaxacae reddelli, because the former species shown more and larger tubules, in contrast, the epigeal crayfish not develop these tubules.