Innervation of the supranasal sac of the puff adder.
The supranasal sac is an invagination of the skin between the supranasal and nasal shields of many true vipers. Viperinae behavior suggests that many true vipers hunt by thermal cues.



The supranasal sacs of two puff adder (Serpentes: Viperinae) were examined with modern histological and neurohistological techniques, including Kiernan's silver stain.



There are nerve endings in the supranasal sac of the puff adder that resemble the nerve endings in the labial pits of boas.



This suggests that the supranasal sac of true vipers is, like the labial pits of boas, a heat detector.
York
D S
DS
School of Natural and Health Sciences, Barry University, Miami Shores, Florida 33161, USA.
Silver
T M
TM
Smith
A A
AA
D000818:Animals; D009411:Nerve Endings / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D009666:Nose / Q000294:innervation*; D016622:Silver Staining; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D017819:Viperidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology*