Study of Some Histological Properties of Skeletal Muscles in a Fish Gymnura micrura

Abstract

The present study showed some histological properties of skeletal muscles in Gymnura micrura belong to the family Dasyatidae, specimens of fish collected from the AL-Fao area in Iraqi territorial waters with assistance from a fisherman. The results declare two types of cartilage that can be distinguished: hyaline cartilage, which constitutes a large percentage of the cartilage mass, in addition to the presence of another type, the elastic cartilage. The results showed that the diameter of red muscle fibers alternated between (22.30 - 37.17 microns), while it alternated between (44.61 – 104.09 microns) of the white muscle fibers diameter in studied fish, this difference possibly attributed to the functional role of white and red muscle fibers and their effect in the mechanics of movement.