Master Thesis

Anatomical and histological description of the adult Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 digestive system.

The digestive system in adults of Octopus vulgaris (Cuvier, 1797) is composed by: buccal mass, oesophagus, stomach, caecum, intestine and anus. Accessory structures as: submandibular gland, anterior and posterior salivary glands, the digestive gland and the digestive duct appendages are also described. The first portion of the digestive system duct, oesophagus and stomach, are covered by simple columnar epithelium which is protected by a layer of cuticle. While the caecum and intestine epithelium becomes a pseudostratified epithelium with microvilli and some ciliated areas. The feeding process begins with the capture and prey paralysation by means of cefalotoxin. The digestion starts in the stomach due to the digestive gland secretion. This process will be completed in the caecum. The presence of microvilli and abundant folds, as well as the presence of absorptive cells, suggests that the main absorptive areas are the caecum and intestine.