[Histonet] stain needed to dye external pores

[Philip Oshel]

Carla,

I used to do this with sculpins from Lake Michigan. Mostly, though we 
didn't need to do anything to see the lateral line pores. But! it's 
not hard to make a cast of the canal and it's pores. Just take a 
blunt syringe needle (aka "90 deg tip") and inject any of several 
different things into the canal: Bateson's or Mercox 
methylmethacrylate, or the MMA or GMA resins work, but silicone 
bathtub chaulk also works. These all give the LL pores and 
impressions of the neuromasts within the canal. India ink can be used 
for a temporary fill.
One problem with staining the LL canals is that the canals are 
usually filled with mucus, typically somewhat thicker than that 
covering the fish. One reason the injection methods work is that they 
flush out the mucus. But ... fixed in formalin and stored in EtOH ... 
this may well cause problems getting stuff into the canal.

Phil

>Hello all,
>
>A colleague has some juvenile trout (4-8 inches long) that have been fixed
>in 10% NBF then stored in ethanol. He would like to count the mandibular
>pores located on the underside of the lower jaw. Can anyone suggest a stain
>or procedure which would make these external pores more visible? They would
>prefer to stain the area directly and not process/paraffin embed, etc.. Any
>suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
>
>Carla Conway
>
>Histologist
>Western Fisheries Research Center
>6505 NE 65th St.
>Seattle, WA 98115
>ph: 206-526-6282 ext 242
>fax: 206-526-6654
>cmconway <@t> usgs.gov
>
>
>
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-- 
Philip Oshel
Supervisor, BBPIC microscopy facility
Department of Animal Sciences
University of Wisconsin
1675 Observatory Drive
Madison,  WI  53706
voice: (608) 263-4162
fax: (608) 262-5157 (dept. fax)
http://www.ansci.wisc.edu/microscopy.htm