On the other hand, in agreement with the biochemical approach,
the histology showed that in A. nobilis, acidophilic zymogen granules
(pancreatic enzyme precursors) were detected in the exocrine
pancreas 1 day before the onset of exogenous feeding (3 dph), and
the number increased with age as the digestive tract developed and
exogenous feeding occurred. These results are similar to those
reported for Senegal sole Solea senegalensis (Ribeiro et al., 1999),
confirming the important role of pancreatic secretions during the
agastric period of larval development and their genetically rather than
dietary induced secretion (Zambonino-Infante and Cahu, 2001).