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Pyloric caecae
Pyloric caecae (singular caecum) are fingerlike pouches connected with the alimentary canal (the gut). They are attached to the pylorus, the section of the intestinal tract immediately following the stomach. They range in number from three in a type of scorpionfish (Setarches) to thousands in the tunas (family Scombridae). The Blue Mackerel is a scombrid species with many long, thin pyloric caecae.
Pyloric caecae may have a digestive and/or absorptive function. The enzyme lactase has been found in the pyloric caecae of some fishes such as trout.
In some families, such as the Salmonidae (salmons and trouts), the number of pyloric caecae is an important character used to tell species apart.
Further reading
- Helfman G.S., Collette, B.B. & D.E. Facey. 1997. The Diversity of Fishes. Blackwell Science. Pp. 528.
- Lagler, K.F, J.E Bardach & Miller R.R. 1962. Ichthyology. John Wiley & sons. Pp. 545.
