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The histology and morphometrics of the major salivary glands of four species of wallabies (Marsupialia: Macropodiae) from Kawau Island, New Zealand

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2002

R. G. Lentle ,
I. D. Hume ,
M. S. Kennedy ,
K. J. Stafford ,
M. A. Potter ,
B. P. Springett  and
S. Haslett
R. G. Lentle
Affiliation:
Ecology Group, Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand
I. D. Hume
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
M. S. Kennedy
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
K. J. Stafford
Affiliation:
Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand
M. A. Potter
Affiliation:
Ecology Group, Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand
B. P. Springett
Affiliation:
Ecology Group, Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand
S. Haslett
Affiliation:
Statistics Research and Consultancy Centre, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Abstract

Allometric analyses of the three major salivary glands of 44 tammar wallabies Macropus eugenii and 58 parma wallabies Macropus parma from Kawau Island, New Zealand, indicate that tammar wallabies have larger parotid glands while parma wallabies have larger mandibular glands. The difference can be related to the importance of cooling in tammars, an arid-zone species, and the need for greater buffering of forestomach digesta in parma wallabies because of their greater daily food intakes and a higher browse component in their natural diet. Comparisons of sublingual gland size of these two species viewed in terms of their capacity for mucus production suggest that this may be influenced by the need to protect mucosa from mechanical and chemical injury from browse. Sample sizes of brush-tailed rock-wallabies Petrogale pencilliata and swamp wallabies Wallabia bicolor were too small for similar statistical comparisons, but they confirmed that salivary gland histology was broadly similar among all four species.

Keywords

macropodsalivary glandshistologymorphology
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Zoology , Volume 257 , Issue 3 , July 2002 , pp. 403 - 410
Copyright
2002 The Zoological Society of London

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