Formation of septa in the bulbus cordis of a turtle and a lizard

Abstract

AbstractA total of 54 embryos of Chrysemys (Chelonia) and 29 embryos of Aristelliger (Lacertilia) were used in examining septation of the embryonic bulbus cordis. Division of this region of the heart includes a period of cushion or septal primordia formation and a period of physical partitioning. In both reptilian genera, the physical configuration of the early bulbus, the temporal sequence of appearance of the endocardial cushions, the number of major endocardial cushions, the primordia composing the two primary bulbar septa, and the mode of descent of the bulbar septa are strikingly similar. The two genera differ primarily in the pattern of the endocardial cushions and consequently the rotation of the two bulbar septa. In both the turtle and the lizard the aortico‐pulmonary septum passes through an angle of about 120° in its descent toward the ventricle. In Aristelliger the aortic septum rotates through an angle of approximately 120°. By contrast, the same partition in Chrysemys spirals through an angle of about 90°. The lesser spiral of this septum in the turtle is interpreted as the result of a decrease in the rotation of distal endocardial ridge 4. The pattern of the two bulbar septa in the turtle appears to represent an advanced phylogenetic feature in terms of the evolution of the reptilian bulbus cordis.