Ultrastructural aspects of lingual papillae in squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus)

Federal Rural University of Amazonia. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Institute of Animal Health and Production. Belem, PA, Brazil.University of São Paulo. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science. Department of Surgery. São Paulo, SP, Brazil.University of São Paulo. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science. Department of Surgery. São Paulo, SP, Brazil.Federal Rural University of Amazonia. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Institute of Animal Health and Production. Belem, PA, Brazil.Federal Rural University of Amazonia. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Institute of Animal Health and Production. Belem, PA, Brazil.Federal University of Para. Institute of Biological Sciences. Belem, PA, Brazil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Centro Nacional de Primatas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Ministério da Saúde. Secretaria de Vigilância em Saúde. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Centro Nacional de Primatas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil.Federal University of Sergipe. Center for Biological and Health Sciences. Department of Morphology. Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology. Aracaju, SE, Brazil.Federal Rural University of Amazonia. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Institute of Animal Health and Production. Belem, PA, BrazilSaimiri sciureus is one of the smallest Cebidae native of Amazon region and also found at the biological reserve of northeast Atlantic forest. It is an omnivore animal, with diversified diet that directly influences the lingual mucosa, which includes certain types of papillae with different organization levels. The present study attempted to describe the morphological and ultrastructure aspects of the dorsal surface of the S. sciureus. Five tongues of de S. sciureus were analyzed from three males and two females who died from natural causes and were obtained from breeding colonies of CENP-Ananindeua-PA. Main macroscopic features were a general triangular shape with a craniocaudal elongation pointed apex. Tissue samples--apex, body, and root of tongue--were fixed in modified Karnovsky solution, following standard scanning protocol, mounted in stubs, coated by gold, and analyzed by Scanning Electron Macroscopy (SEM). Four types of papillae were described: filiform (along all tissue extension with 154 μm of diameter), fungiform (along all tissue extension with 272 μm of diameter), vallate [just three units in caudal (dorsal) portion with 830 μm of diameter] and foliate (one pair at caudolateral surface with ∼ 13 projections and 3000 μm in length). Data analysis indicates that the distribution and ultra structural morphology of the S. sciureus lingual papillae are some similar to other primates