[Development of telencephalon in Agapornis roseicollis Vieillot (Psittacidae) and its relationship to the evolution of the telencephalon in vertebrates].
1. The cerebral anlage of Agapornis roseicollis was investigated in serially cut slices during the developmental stages before hatching (day 3-day 20) by light microscopical quantitative and qualitative methods. 2. During earlier stages of development, the brain anlage is divided in three dorsally and four ventrally situated, longitudinally oriented matrix zones (D1-D3, V1-V4 according to Kuhlenbeck). In this developing system, mainly the lateral part of the telencephalic wall including its dorsal extension is considered to establish special importance for the further ontogenetic development. 3. The quite simple structure of the epistriatum in Reptils occurs as the neo-hyperstriatum-complex in Birds; likewise, deriving from the neocortex primitivus in Reptils, in Mammalia this part obviously develops to the more and more expanding neocortex as can be followed from lower mammalia species up to the highly developed Primates. According to the first main criterion of Remane, the homology of these parts of the brain in different vertebrates is most evident because these brain parts occupy exactly the same position in the brain anlage of early embryonal stages. 4. In Reptils, the neocortex primitivus appears as the last during ontogenetic development. Likewise in Birds, the neohyperstriatum-complex that is homologeous to the neocortex in Mammalia, differentiates during the final stages. These facts again emphasize the homology of these structures. 5. Further evidence for homology is obtained by the observation that in Agapornides the primordium of the neo-hyperstriatumcomplex contains migrating matrix cells columns, which also in Mammalia arrange into the same manner. Moreover, the transient and heterochronuous occurrence of cell layers at the outer surface of the brain anlage reminds to the development of palaeocortex and neocortex in Reptils and Mammalia. 6. From the point of view of evolution biology, the process of the progressive evolution is considered to be based on the step by step addition of tiny new structure-function-units to the already present morphology going along with a full structural and functional integration of the added, thus to achive the new quality. This so-called "Additive Morphogenesis" was effective during millions of years, consisting of such microevolutionary processes, and finally caused the "Gestaltungswandel", the ever changing evolving variety of bodily forms (and functions) that is recapitulated during individual species ontogenesis.