The physicochemical features of the large-sized, extracellular hemoglobins (Hbs) of branchiopod crustaceans have engaged structural biologists and animal physiologists since Svedberg's sedimentation analysis of the Many branchiopod crustaceans are endowed with extracellular, highmolecular-weight hemoglobins whose exact structural characteristics have remained a matter of conjecture. By using a broad spectrum of techniques, we provide precise and coherent information on the hemoglobin of one of the phylogenetically 'oldest' extant branchiopods, the tadpole shrimp Triops cancriformis. The hemoglobin dissociated under reducing conditions into two subunits, designated TcHbA and TcHbB, with masses of 35 775 ± 4 and 36 055 ± 4 Da, respectively, determined by ESI-MS. Nonreducing conditions showed only two disulfide-bridged dimers, a homodimer of TcHbA, designated D1 (71 548 ± 5 Da), and the heterodimer D2 (71 828 ± 5 Da). Carbamidomethylation of free SH groups revealed the presence of three cysteines per subunit and indicated one intrasubunit and one intersubunit disulfide bridge. Ultracentrifugation and light-scattering experiments under nondenaturating conditions yielded mass estimates that suggested an uneven number of 17 subunits forming the native hemoglobin. This unrealistic number resulted from the presence of two size classes (16-mer and 18-mer), which were recognized by native PAGE and Ferguson plot analysis. ESI-MS revealed three hemoglobin isoforms with masses of 588.1 kDa, 662.0 kDa, and 665.0 kDa. The 16-mer and the smaller 18-mer species are supposed to be composed of TcHbA only, given the dominance of this subunit type in SDS ⁄ PAGE. Transmission electron microscopy of negatively stained specimens showed a population of compact molecules with geometrical extensions of 14, 16 and 9 nm. The proposed stoichiometric model of quarternary structure provides the missing link to achieve a mechanistic understanding of the structure-function relationships among the multimeric arthropodan hemoglobins.Abbreviations CI, confidence interval; D 20 , diffusion coefficient for 20°C; DLS, dynamic light scattering; Hb, hemoglobin; MALLS, multiangle laser-light scattering; s 20,w , sedimentation coefficient for 20°C in water; TEM, transmission electron microscopy; m, partial specific volume.