Background: The olfactory organ, forebrain and pituitary gland are important in the regulation of reproduction. The fish N. notopterus was selected for the present study for it provided the opportunity to study reproduction having a single gonad in the body. Purpose: To study the nuclear identification of olfactory system, forebrain and pituitary gland in Notopterus notopterus using Klûver and Barrera and Aldehyde fuschin staining techniques. Methods : Notopterus notopterus fishes  were perfused transcardially with PBS followed by the same volume of Bouin's fixative. Olfactory organ with bulb and brain with pituitary gland were dissected out and post-fixed in the same fixative overnight. The olfactory organ and brain with pituitary gland were cut at 10 mm thickness in transverse as well as sagittal plane. Klûver and Barrera and Aldehyde fuschin staining techniques were used to study the tissue sections. Results: In the forebrain, multipolar cells of nucleus entopeduncularis (NE) were located in the telencephalon. Diencephalon was divided into preoptic area, hypothalamus, thalamus and epithalamus. In the diencephalon, Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), Nucleus preopticus (NPO) and nucleus anterior commissure (NAC) were also identified. In the preoptic area, nucleus of subventricular gray (NSG) and organasum vasculossum lamellae terminalis (OVLT) was observed. Nucleus preopticus magnocellularis (NPOm) is the only AF-positive nucleus in the neuronal complex. Caudal to preoptic region, the tuberal area starts which has nucleus hypothalmicus (Nh) and nucleus lateralis tuberis (NLT). Above the hypothalamus, thalamic area shows thalamic nuclei. In the epithalmus, paired habenular ganglia were connected to each other by habenular commissure. Conclusion: This study will helpful to find out the correlation of brain and pituitary gland in the order Osteoglossiformes.

doi: 10.5214/ans.0972.7531.2008.150204

Competing interests: None.  Source of Funding: None

Received Date: 18 April 2008     Revised Date: 29 April 2008     Accepted Date: 03 May 2008