Morphological and Histochemical Study of Digestive System in Relation to Feeding Habbit of chanda Ranga

The body of Chanda ranga is transparent translucent except the body cavity which is lined by a thin silvery connective tissue screen, that makes it opaque. Digestive system has been described taking mouth, bucco-pharynx. oesophagus, stomach, duodenum, intestine, rectum and hepatopancreas. The upwardly directed and protrusible mouth; presence of premaxillary, maxillary, vomarine, palatine, mandibular, lingual, supra and infra pharyngeal, gill raker and gill arch teeth; long spiny gill rakers and relative gut length 0.8 are the carnivorous features.Contrary to other carnivorous fishes, pyloric caecum is absent in Chanda ranga.The stomach is divided into cardiac and pyloric part, duodenum, intestine and rectum are present. Single layered mucosa with goblets and smaller villi, were observed. The longitudinal muscle layer is external to circular muscles. Gastric glands are present in cardiac stomach and only pancreatic islets are present in between hepatic tissues. Well developed three lobed liver, attached to gut is present on the left side.