On the neural crest cells of the Australian lungfish

Recent publications referring to the possible importance of the neural crest in the development of dental and skeletal structures in lower vertebrates have placed considerable emphasis on this embryonic tissue. However, a closer examination of the evidence for neural crest involvement in lower vertebrate development suggests that too much emphasis on the part played by the neural crest in development of some lower vertebrates may be unwarranted. In embryos of at least one of these groups, the dipnoi, the cells of the neural crest may not form a part of the mesenchyme from which the dental and skeletal structures develop.