Anatomy, ultrastructure and histology of the olfactory organ of the largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, Centrarchidae

The detailed anatomy, ultrastructure and histology of the olfactory organ of Micropterus salmoides were investigated by a stereo microscope, a light microscope, and a scanning electron microscope. Its external structure shows a tube-like anterior nostril to stick out and a posterior nostril flat to the skin surface. Meanwhile, its internal structure, the olfactory chamber, contains a fan-shaped rosette structure with 9 to 11 lamellae in adult fish over 35 cm in standard length (SL) and two accessory nasal sacs (ethmoidal and lacrimal sacs) were found. Interestingly, the rosette in young fish under 15 cm in SL was a longitudinal structure in parallel with each of 4–5 lamellae. Histologically, the sensory epithelium (SE) on the olfactory chamber consists of 5 types of cells: olfactory receptor neurons, supporting cells, basal cells, lymphatic cells and mucous cells. In contrast, the non-sensory epithelium (NSE) has stratified epithelial cells, lymphatic cells and mucous cells. The mucous cells of the SE are abundant and distributed densely in one row on the outermost superficial surface, but the one of the NSE are less than the SE. From these results, the olfactory characters of M. salmoides may be related with its ecological habit spending in the middle layer of stagnant water contaminated, more or less.