The Trophotaeniae of the Godeidae, a family of viviparous Cyprinodont fishes

" The embryos of twenty-one species of the family Goodeidae have extensive rectal processes (trophotaeniae) which serve as absorptive organs, by means of which the embryos while they are retained in the ovarian cavity absorb substances dissolved in the ovarian fluid. Embryos of three species have not been available for study. No trophotaeniae are present in one species Ataeniobius toweri. There are three general types of trophotaeniae, rosette, sheathed and unsheathed. The structure of the trophotaeniae is sufficiently constant in each species to be used in species determination "