Ophidian cephalic glands

A survey of the comparative morphology and histology of the twelve glands in the ophidian head was made. The nasal and Harderian glands are the only non-oral glands. The premaxillary, supralabial, posterior, Duvernoy's and venom glands are serially homologous. The infralabial, sublingual and supralingual glands are not related to the other oral glands. The relationships of the temporomandibular and anterior temporal glands to the other oral glands could not be determined. For each gland a synonymy of previously used names, its approximate location within the head and its distribution within the various groups of the Ophidia is given. The general histological picture of most of the glands is illustrated and available information on their embryology and innervation is summarized.