Why is the posterior pituitary gland called the neurohypophysis?
Also to know is, what is the posterior pituitary gland?
Posterior pituitary: The back portion of the pituitary, a small gland in the head called the master gland. The posterior pituitary secretes the hormone oxytocin which increases uterine contractions and antidiuretic hormone (ADH) which increases reabsorption of water by the tubules of the kidney.
Keeping this in consideration, why is posterior pituitary not an endocrine gland?
Oxytocin and vasopressin hormones are produced by hypothalamus but stored and are released into blood stream via posterior pituitary. That's the reason why it is not a true endocrine gland. Endocrine glands are the ductless glands that secrete and released hormones in blood directly.
Pituitary gland, also called hypophysis, ductless gland of the endocrine system that secretes hormones directly into the bloodstream. The term hypophysis (from the Greek for “lying under”)—another name for the pituitary—refers to the gland's position on the underside of the brain.