INTEGUMENT : surface covering of the animal body; easily separable from the

underlying muscular layer of the body wall

: forms the interface between the organism and the external environment.
: varies in different regions of the body, in different individuals, in different ages,
and in different groups of vertebrates
: consists of two layers: outer epidermis and inner dermis.

EMBRYONIC ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT

Epidermal Ectoderm : EPIDERMIS

Mesoderm Epimere Dermatome: DERMIS
Neural crest cells: chromatophores

II. Functions of the Integument

1. Protection (dermal armor, glands, pigments, bristling fur, ruffled plumage, claws,
horns, spiny protruberances, etc).
2. Exteroreception (nerve endings).
3. Respiration.
4. Excretion
5. Thermoregulation (endotherms heat insulators).
6. Locomotion (adhesive pads, claws, scutes, feathers, webs)
7. Maintenance of homeostasis
dermal scales (stores Ca and PO4)
chloride-secreting glands
stratum corneum (conserves water)
8. Nourishment
mucus from skin (teleosts)
mammary glands
9. Pheromones and skin coloration
sex signal
species i.d by members
alarms
synthesize vitamin D
Basic Morphological Plan

1. Epidermis ectodermally-derived.
a. periderm outer layer
b. stratum basale rests on basement membrane
2. Dermis from dermatome mesenchyme.
a. connective tissues (e.g. collagen fibers in layers of alternating orientation;
nerves)
b. chromatophores neural crest cells.

3. Hypodermis

4. Blood vessels, small nerves, exteroceptors (sensory o.).

5. Skin glands from invaginated epidermis.
a. exocrine
b. endocrine

Variations in Different Craniates

1. Relative number and complexity of glands.

2. Extent of differentiation and specialization of the most superficial layer of
epidermis.
3. Extent to which bone develops in the dermis.

GENERAL FEATURES

A. Dermis
Produces plates of bone through intra-membranous ossification.
Dermal bones.
Fibrous connective tissue composed mostly of collagen fibers.
B. Epidermis
1. Produce mucus (fish and amphibians)
a. Moisten surface of skin.
b. Prevent bacterial infection.
c. Ensure laminar flow of water.
d. Escape from predators.
e. Prevents drying of frog when on land.

2. Outer keratinized or cornified layer (stratum corneum)

a) Keratinized Keratinocytes keratin Reduce water loss

b) cornified - Stratum corneum Hair, hoof, horn, etc.

Oral cavity direct mechanical abrasion cornified esophagus

or where friction insult the epithelium (CALLUS)

3. Epidermal Scales
Folds of the integument epidermal scales in reptiles, birds, mammals

Lower Chordates amphioxus

Epidermis single layer of cuboidal or columnar cells that secrete mucus;

rests upon a basal lamina.
Dermis very highly ordered collagen fibers.
Pigments secreted by epidermal cells.

Fishes
Nonkeratinized, covered with mucus.
2 types of cells:

1. Epidermal cells
2. Unicellular gland cells

a. Club cell elongate, binucleate cells secreting chemicals that excite alarm or fear.
b. Granular cell contributes to mucous cuticle.
c. Goblet cell - contributes to mucous cuticle.
none in lampreys
d. Sacciform cell - contains repellant against enemies once released.
3. Multicellular glands
Mucus secretion
Thick slime or alkaloids
Photophores (deep-sea teleosts)
- Species & sex recognition
- lure, warning, concealment

gl luminous cell; l-lens cells; r-reflector cells

Fish Dermis - dermal scales

A. Primitive Fishes

1.Ostracoderms and Placoderms

Dermal armor encased the bodies (large in head, smaller pieces in trunk).
Surface consists of tubercles (dentin + enamel).
Rests upon a dermal bone.

2. Living Agnathans
Dermal bone is lost
Smooth surface, scaleless.
Epidermis - Stack of living epidermal cells; non-keratinized.
Unicellular glands; slime glands (multi) occur also in hagfishes.
Dermis regular fibrous connective tissue; pigment cells.
Hypodermis with adipose tissue.

3. Chondrichthyes
Dermal bone is absent, but surface denticles (placoid scales) persist.
Epidermis - Numerous secretory cells and stratified epidermal cells.
Dermis fibrous connective tissue (elastic and collagen fibers in regular
arrangement).
Placoid scales develop in dermis but projects through epidermis.
Chromatophores in lower epidermis and upper dermis.
4. Bony Fishes
Dermis is Divided into: 1. superficial layer of loose CT
2. deeper dense fibrous CT
Dermis chromatophores
Scales most important product of dermis; dermal scales DO NOT pierce
the epidermis, but they are so close to the surface.

Epidermis

Basal layer of cells while upper is stratified epidermal cells which do not
undergo keratinization.
Unicellular glands: secretory cells , club cells.

Types of Scales (Appearance)

1. COSMOID (primitive sarcopterygians)

Resides upon a double layer of bone (vascular, lamellar).

Layer of well-developed dentin.
Thin layer of enamel.

2. GANOID

Thick coat of enamel w/o dentin underneath.

Dermal bone has 2 layers (vascular, lamellar) for paleoniscoid fishes or 1
layer for other actinopterygians.
In other lines, vascular layer and enamel surface are lost.
Shiny (enamel), overlapping, interlocking.
Living lungfish and gars

3. TELEOST SCALES CYCLOD-CTENOID

No enamel, dentin and vascular bone.

Lamellar bone is acellular and noncalcified.
Kinds:
1. CYCLOID with circuli
2. CTENOID fringe projections
II. Tetrapods

Keratinization is a major feature.stratum corneum.

Cornified cells + lipids: resistance to dessication.
Multicellular glands abundant usually found in dermis.

Epidermal Glands

According to Shape:

1. Saccular (alveoli) dipnoans and amphibians

2. Tubular mammals

According to Way of releasing substances:

1. Merocrine cell remains intact when substance is released (sweat glands).

2. Holocrine secretion includes the cells (oil glands of birds & sebaceous of mammals).
3. Apocrine accumulates in apex and portion of cytoplasm is included (mammary
glands).
According to Secretions:

1. Mucous Glands
Disappeared in terrestrial craniates except in anurans using skin for respiration.

2. Granular Glands
Little variety in toads
More varied in reptiles but not abundant (vent)
femoral glands in male lizards (temporary spine)
musk from lower border of carapace

along back of crocodiles

Absent in birds and mammals.

Secrete irritating or toxic alkaloids.
Source of some pheromones.
Restricted to localized area on the body.

3. Avian Oil Glands

Uropygial gland
large in aquatic birds and domestic fowls.
water-repellant secretion.
used in preening.
smaller ones are lining the outer ear canal or encircle the vent.

4. Sebaceous Glands
Complex and specialized integument glands in mammals
Alveolar glands with oily exudates (sebum) present wherever hairs are present
exception: lips, glans penis, labia minora, around nipples.
Ceruminous glands (cerumen)
Meibomian glands moistens conjunctiva of the eye (what is chalazion?)

5. Sudoriferous Glands
Coiled tubular glands.
Cooling effect of the evaporation of sweat.
In furry mammals, found in least furry areas
Mammals with none: pangolins, cetaceans, sirenians, echidnas.
Ciliary glands (hair follicles of eyelashes).
Humans have the largest number.

6. Scent Glands
Could either be a sweat or sebaceous gland.
 Feet of goats (scent trails).
Anal gland in skunks (defense).
Musk in deer (sex).
Temporal gland in elephants (breeding season).
Urine is an exception, which is not from integumentary gland.
7. Mammary Glands
Compound alveolar glands developing from milk lines.

Stratum Corneum

1. Epidermal Scales
Repetitious thickenings of stratum corneum
Squamates disposed on overlapping folds of the epidermis.

Scutes: large, thin, quadrilateral or polygonal scales

belly of snakes (locomotion)

Molting by patches or entirely among squamates.

thick on plastron, thinner on carapace (not overlap) in turtles

In birds, develop where there are no feathers.

Hair and scales in armadillos

Legs and tails in most mammals

2. Claws, Hoofs, Nails

Modification of stratum corneum at the ends of the digits.
claws 1st to appear in basal amniotes & persisted in birds& mammals.
nails primates
 hoofs ungulates

What is an unguis? subunguis? main difference/s?

3. Feathers
complicated cornified appendages of the skin.
Evolved 1st either for gliding or for insulation.
Were modified from reptilian scales or may be new evolutionary structures
varieties of feathers
a. contour feather
b. down feathers
c. filoplumes

What are remiges? Rectrices? How do feathers develop from the integument?

4. Hairs
keratinized appendages.
dense fur, as few as 1 or 2 bristles.
insulators and tactile organs.
varieties of hair:
a. fur or pelage (guard or underfurs)
b. vibrissae or whiskers
c. quills (spines of porcupines)

Development of hairs? How is it different from feathers?

5. Horns
surface is composed of keratin; a core of dermal bone.
a. Bovine or true horns artiodactyls: oxen, cows, goat, sheep, antelopes.
b. Pronghorns horny covering is branched and shed yearly.
c. Hair horns agglutinated keratinized hair-like epidermal fibers on area
of nasal bone.

6. Antlers
not cornified structure but dermal bone attached to frontal bone.
Males only
in velvet function/s of velvet?

How are horns different from antlers?

7. Giraffe horns
short ossified frontal bones
velvet throughout life

8. Baleen in whales

Are structures 5, 6, 7, and 8 shed yearly, constantly or not at all?

9. Rattle in rattlesnakes
rings of horny stratum corneum that remain attached to the tail after each molt.

10. beaks and combs (wattles?)

11. ischial callosities
12. knee pads in camels
13. apical pads, tori
14. corns and calluses

Dermal Bones in Tetrapods

Osteoderms minute bones derived from basal amniotes,

Caecilians, tropical toads, crocodilians

Dermal plates in turtles

Armadillos only mammals having dermal armor

Humans as pathologic condition

 Dermal pigments

Chromatophores

skin coloration interaction between physical, chemical and

structural properties of skin.

Granules (dispersible, non-dispersible) Difference between physiologic and

morphologic color changes? Examples?

Kinds of chromatophores:

1. Melanophores dark brown

2. Xanthophores yellow
3. Erythrophores red
4. Iridophores guanine, a prismatic substance

In Conclusion:
1. Importance of the integumentary system.
2. Basic morphological pattern is the same.
3. Variations among the craniates on the ff:
a. Relative number and complexity of glands.
b. Extent of differentiation and specialization of the most superficial
layer of the epidermis (also in association with the dermis to some extent).
c. Extent to which bone develops in the dermis (also the presence of
pigment cells).

References:
From comparative anatomy textbooks listed in the syllabus and from the internet.
Pictures and/or plates and figures from the internet.