Comparative histology of the mantle structure in a pearl oyster, Pinctada radiata and an edible oyster Saccostrea cucullata

The mantle of bivalves has an important role in the forming of the shell and the pearl. The purpose of the present study is comprehension of the histological structure of the mantle edge and comparison of this tissue in a pearl oyster, Pinctada radiata and an edible oyster, Saccostrea cucullata. This study is the first research regarding the comparative histology of mantle edge in pearl-producing and non pearl-producing bivalves of the Persian Gulf. The anterior, posterior and ventral segments of each valve’s mantle edge were removed and the samples were stained with Harris hematoxylin and eosin method. The results showed that the mantle edge in each species has three folds with different and specific shapes. The cells of two species’ mantle edges such as mucus cells, brown granules, hemocyte and muscle fibers were similar to each other, but their distribution in each fold was different. It concludes that there are various color and morphological structure in the mantle edge of each species.