Plecospondylic spinal column in the eel Anguilla anguilla

Several cases of deformities in the spinal column were described in fishes, viz. lordosis in the bitterling Rhodeus amarus) by ROTH (1922), in the minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) by ROTH (1922), in the pike (Esox lucius) by ROTH (1922) and PLEHN (1924); kyphosis in the toothcarps (Cyprinodontidae) by ROTH (1922); scoliosis in the carp Cyprinus carpio) by HOFER (1904), ROTH (1922) and PLEHN (1924); kyphoscoliosis in the toothcarps by ROTH (1922); kypholordosis in the highly arched Aischgründer race of the carp by SPICZAKOW (1935) and in the carp by SCHäPERCLAUS (1941, 1954); plecospondylic spinal column in the eel (Anguilla anguilla) by SCHäPERCLAUS (1941, 1954) and in the guppy or millionfish (Lebistes reticulatus) by STOLK (1955 a). SCHRäDER (1930) described curvatures of the spinal column in fishes of about 55 species and families. In this paper we briefly describe a case of plecospondylic spinal column, observed in an adult eel (Anguilla anguilla) (fig. 1). The fish was fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin. The sections (4—6 µ) were cut frontally and transversally and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, hematoxylin and phloxin as also according to the VAN GIESON method and the azan method.