Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help Is this the Pylorica Caeca?

And if so, is it normal?

While cleaning LMB this weekend, I noticed this "worm-like" object connected to the stomach/intestines.

I'm not well-versed in LMB anatomy (or any other fish, for that matter), but after some research it looks like this could be the Pylorica Caeca, which is believed to help a fish absorb carbohydrates, etc.

I've never noticed whatever it is being this large in past LMB taken from this pond, but nearly all LMB cleaned this weekend looked like this. At first I was afraid it was some sort of intestinal worm/parasite. I hope I'm worried over nothing, but I never noticed whatever this thing is being so large compared to the rest of the innards.

Any ideas, guys?



Here is a close-up.



Thanks for the help!


EDIT: The thread title should be "Pyloric Caeca" instead of "Pylorica Caeca."

You are correct. I did a quick image search and found this picture.

For those as ignorant of Pyloric Caeca as I was:

from "Aristotle Revisited: The Function of Pyloric Caeca in Fish"

by Randal K. Buddington and Jared M. Diamond

"The function of the pyloric caeca of fish has been uncertain since their detailed description in 345 B.C. by Aristotle. He suggested three hypotheses about their function: "to store up the food," "putrify it up," and "concoct it" (i.e., storage, fermentation, and digestion). Our results for trout, cod, largemouth bass, and striped bass support the third but not the first or second of Aristotle's theories. In all four species, the caeca prove to be a major site of sugar, amino acid, and dipeptide uptake, contributing more uptake than the entire remaining alimentary tract in trout and cod. Caecal brushborder membranes contain hydrolytic enzymes. X-ray plates taken at various times after trout had ingested radioopaque marker, and observations of trout fed blue dye plus glass beads of graded sizes, show that caeca fill and empty of food with the same time course as proximal intestine. Thus, whereas the caeca of mammals and birds serve as fermentation chambers, fish caeca are an adaptation to increase gut surface area."

BTW, Diamond is the author of the incredibly interesting "Guns, Germs, and Steel", which was made into a three-part series for PBS. The series is neat, and the book even better.

Thanks for the information, Theo.

Don't worry, I was completely oblivious to anything called the Pyloric Caeca as well. It was only after searching google images for "largemouth bass anatomy" that I educated myself.

I'm thinking that's what it is, but I'm still wondering whether it should be that large. In the first photo, it appears to be nearly double the size of the stomach.

Hopefully, there isn't a problem with my beloved LMB. They sure ate good, regardless!


"Guns, Germs, and Steel," eh? Three of my favorite things.

Alex, I'll take Steel for 300

Brettksi, that's a Daily Double. You're currently in the hole, but you can still wager up to $300. Here's the answer:

"This series of stainless steels comprise over 70% of total stainless steel production. They contain a maximum of 0.15% carbon, a minimum of 16% chromium, and nickel and/or manganese."

Guns, germs and steel is my all time favorite book. I missed the PBS Series.

What are the LMB eating ? Have they been eating pellets ( ever) ? Could that factor into the enlarged size ?

Alex....what is the 300 series?
(if I got that one right, it was a lucky guess...I'm a carbon guy)

Correct. We would also have accepted "What is Austensitic?"

I'm livin' the dream
I'm going to Disney World!!!

What is how to hijack a thread 101, Alex??

Just kidding, guys. I can always count on y'all for a good laugh or two. (I'm laughing WITH you, of course, never AT you). Keep the funnies rollin'.

Eric,
The LMB are eating whatever they can find. I doubt any LMB in that pond have ever eaten pellets. We hand-feed occasionally, and the big CCs are really all that comes up. Even this is sporadic in both time and amount. As hard as LMB are to feed-train, I doubt any have ever caught-on.

This pond has a classic example of stunted LMB population, although it is slowly getting better.

It has VERY large and very few RES, BG of all sizes, though a noticeable drop in the 2-4" range, an abundance of LMB in the 10-12" range (with the occassional 3-8 lb. LMB), and very few but very large (up to 15 pounds) CCs. I've stocked probably 50 6"+ BG (by hand) and taken out probably 100 bass averaging 9-11" in the last year or so. The average bass is now longer and fatter, but I'm not there yet. Goal is an abundance of 2-5 lb. LMB with the occasional 7+ LMB.

The pond is 4 acres when full. Max. depth is at least 25', and average depth is probably at least 10'. Visibility is nearly 4 feet coming out of whatever you would call "winter" down in Texas.

Interestingly, I did find several 1" BG in the stomachs of some of the bass I culled. I guess those BG would have been a late fall spawn?

At any rate, I would say the bass are eating primarily whatever BG and RES they can find, along with any YOY bass. It is also common during warm weather to see the LMB hitting all sorts of invertebrates on and near the surface.

I have no idea what is "normal" for Pyloric Caeca in terms of size. It just looked odd to me and I am hoping nothing is wrong.

SS304, SS316, heck, even SS321. All fun metals.