Ultrastructural study of limb bud development in green turtles Chelonia mydas

Morphological changes during the embryonic development of limbs of the green turtle, Chelonia mydas, were studied during the entire period of incubation, using transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM). Limb buds were first observed at Stage 2. At that stage, the tip was covered with an apical ectodermal ridge (AER) which began to regress at Stage 6. Associated with AER was the presence of the mesenchymal cells which, consequently, differentiated into muscles, cartilage and bones. The gross features of the skeletal development appeared as a condensation of the cartilaginous structures in the proximal distal region of the limbs. The primordial digits were gradually enclosed by hard keratinized webbed skin. The increase in rate of ossification and skin pigmentation was correlated with the growth of the limbs. The development of the limbs was closely related to the transitional appearance of mucus secretion from the epidermis.