COMPARATIVE ANATOMICAL AND HISTOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE PITUITARY GLANDS OF THREE SPECIES OF MAMMALS : RATTUSRATTUS (FAMILY MURIDAE) HERPISTUSICHNOMON (FAMILY, VIVERRIDAE) AND JACCULUS ORIENTALS (FAMILY, DIPODIDAE)

The pituitary glands of the three species of mammals: Rattus rattus, Herpistus ichnomon and Jacculus orientalis are markedly different from each others in their anatomical and histological structures. In Rattus rattus the gland is semicirular in shape, dorso-ventrally compressed and the residual lumen separating the pars distalis from the pars nervosa and the pars intermedia .TTie acidophilic cells of the pituitary gland are collected as groups between the basophilic ones . In Herpestus ichnomon the gland is elongated and the pars nervosa occupies larger area than the pars distalis but in Jacullus orientalis the gland is irregular in shape .The residual lumen is absent in Herpestus ichnomon and Jacculus orientalis