X-ray Diffraction Study of Acellular Teleost Bone

Abstract

THE osseous endoskeletons of the higher orders of teleost fish are noteworthy in that they are totally devoid of enclosed osteocytes (Fig. 1)^1,2. The osseous tissue of other fish, like that of all other vertebrates, contains enclosed osteocytes. Although acellular bone, per se, is phylogenetically a very ancient tissue³, its appearance as the sole osseous element in the skeletal systems of the most highly evolved and successful fish suggests that possession of such a tissue confers an adaptive value to the organism in a marine environment.