Morphology of Duvernoy's Glands and Maxillary Teeth and a Possible Function of the Duvernoy's Gland Secretion in Helicops modestus Günther, 1861 (Serpentes: Xenodontinae)

Abstract. We investigated the gross anatomy, histology and ultrastructure of Duvernoy's glands and scanning electron microscopy of maxillary teeth of Helicops modestus, as well as its prey-handling behavior in laboratory. We later compared this histology with other species of Hydropsini. Duvernoy's glands are located in the post-ocular region, immediately behind the supralabial gland. Each gland is connected to a pair of ungrooved rear fangs by a vestibule from which the secretion is drained. Histological analysis showed that the gland is wrapped by a layer of connective tissue and consists of a glandular body formed by prismatic cells organized in acini and a duct lined with columnar cells. The prismatic cells are positive to PAS and bromophenol blue, indicating glycoprotein content, whereas the columnar ductal cells are positive to PAS and alcian blue pH 2.5, indicating the presence of acid mucous. Transmission electron microscopy showed electron-dense, heterogeneous granules in the prismatic cells, whe...