ABSTRACT: Skin filaments are present on the heads of several Hippocampus species. Their clipping is a useful, non-lethal technique for marking individuals and sampling tissue. Little is known about the consequences of clipping on behaviour and details of regeneration. We present the results of a study on the effects of filament clipping on activity patterns and the regeneration of this structure at the macroscopic and microscopic level in Hippocampus guttulatus Cuvier, 1801 from the Gulf of Taranto (Apulia, Ionian Sea). Twelve individuals of both sexes underwent filament clipping, and their behaviour sequences (expressed as percent of total time spent swimming, resting, food searching, and swinging) were monitored for 10 wk in water tanks. In the first week, individuals spent significantly more time food searching and swimming compared to controls, whereas in the following weeks, no differences between groups were observed. Regeneration was observed in 12 other individuals reclipped after 3, 5, and 7 wk. Sections of paraffin-embedded filaments were stained with Mallory’s trichrome, alcian blue pH 2.5, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), and PAS with diastase. Epidermal cells and basal membranes were the first to recover fully. Basal epidermal cells were filled with glycogen. In the dermis, the arrangement of bundles of fibres surrounded by melanocytes took longer to reconstitute. After 10 wk, the filaments grew to about 36.7% of their original length, whereas at the microscopic level, the tissues recovered fully. It is concluded that filament clipping does not significantly affect the general behavioural patterns of H. guttulatus, and regeneration at the microscopic level is fully accomplished.

中文翻译：

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海马guttulatus剪毛后皮肤细丝恢复：行为和组织学方面

摘要：几种海马物种的头部都有细丝。它们的剪裁是一种有用的，非致命的技术，可用于标记个体和采样组织。关于限制行为和再生细节的后果知之甚少。我们提出了一项研究结果，研究了细丝剪断对活动模式的影响以及在宏观和微观层面上在海马guttulatus中这种结构的再生居维叶，1801年，来自塔兰托湾（爱奥尼亚海普利亚）。十二个男女分别进行了剪丝，并在水箱中对他们的行为顺序（表示为游泳，休息，寻找食物和摇摆的总时间的百分比）进行了10周的监测。在第一周，与对照相比，个人在食物搜索和游泳上花费的时间明显更多，而在接下来的几周中，两组之间没有发现差异。在第3、5和7周后切除的其他12个个体中观察到再生。石蜡包埋的长丝切片用Mallory的三色染料，阿尔辛蓝pH 2.5，高碘酸席夫（PAS）和带有淀粉酶的PAS染色。表皮细胞和基膜最先完全恢复。基底表皮细胞充满了糖原。在真皮中 黑色素细胞包围的纤维束排列需要更长的时间才能重建。10周后，细丝长到其原始长度的约36.7％，而在微观水平上，组织已完全恢复。结论是细丝剪断不会显着影响动物的一般行为模式。H. guttulatus和微观水平的再生已完全完成。