Elastic-like tissue, a new component of the renal glomerular capillary wall in a cartilaginous fish

Elastic-like tissue composed of tubular microfibrils continuous with, and disappearing into, amorphous material is present in the connective tissue space of the glomerular capillary wall of the river ray (freshwater elasmobranch) kidney. The amorphous material is stained by tannic acid but not by uranyl acetate. Structures with similar morphology and staining characteristics are also found in the subendothelial connective tissue layer of renal arteries in this species. Comparative ultrastructural observations of kidneys from marine rays show elastic-like tissue in the arterial wall but not in the glomerular vessels.