Structural elements of the gills of the shore crabCarcinus mediterraneus

Abstract

Fine structural studies were conducted on the gills of the shore crab Carcinus mediterraneus using scanning electron microscopic techniques. The results obtained show the structural organization of crab gills from whole gills including spiny elements over the 150 lameUae to lamellar components such as cuticles, median shaft, marginal canal, afferent and efferent lameltar vessels and hemolymph cells. Enormous surface enlargement is accomplished by a variety of structural elements which allow rapid circulation of hemolymph. In the form of a relatively small organ, the gills fulfill all the necessary exchanges of specific molecules between the crab and its environment. Aggregations of ca 1-~tm particles covering the outer cuticular surfaces are considered to be bacterial colonies of unknown properties and functions.

Topographical Anatomical Studies of the Internal Organs of the Blue Swimmer Crab (Portunus pelagicus) in Conjunction with its External Features

“…3B ) is caudal to the first maxilliped. Our results concurred with previous descriptions (Felgenhauer, 1992;Venezia et al, 1992). The heart (Fig.…”

“…The anterior edge of the base of the gills (Fig.4N) is caudal to the first maxilliped. Our results concurred with previous descriptions(Felgenhauer, 1992;Venezia et al, 1992). The heart (Fig.5B,5C/H) is a soft, white or gray, rectangular shape that lies on the midline, posterior to the stomach and between the flanks (Fig.5,6A,7/F).…”

Thermal Tolerance and Physiological Changes in Mud Crab, Scylla paramamosain Crablet at Different Water Temperatures

“…Such information is fundamentally important to understanding of response and adaptation mechanisms of crabs, in particular the response of gills to environmental change with respect to morphological and physiological effects [ 50 ]. The observation confirms that gillcondition is an efficient biomarker for water quality studies [ 51 ], where crustacean gills mediating exchange processes between the individual and its ambient medium, perform complexmetabolic roles, including uptake of oxygen, excretion of carbondioxide, active ion transport in osmoregulating species, acid-base balance of the hemolymph, and excretion of nitrogenous end products [ 52 ].…”