Microvascular architecture of the lingual papillae in primates and insectivores

Abstract

Using microvascular corrosion casts and scanning microscopy, we studied the microvasculature of the lingual papillae in primates (humans, common squirrel monkeys, common marmosets and tree shrews) and insectivores (large Japanese moles and dwarf shrews). The lingual papillae were well-developed in humans but their size and number decreased in primitive monkeys and insectivores. The microvasculature of the papilla is also much simpler in primates and insectivores, in that order. We found that both the external features and microvasculature of the papillae differed between animal species. It was possible to classify the pattern of microvasculature based on the animal species.