Summary
The phyllobranchiate gills of the green shore crab Carcinus maenas have been examined histologically and ultrastructurally. Each gill lamella is bounded by a chitinous cuticle. The apical surface of the branchial epithelium contacts this cuticle, and a basal lamina segregates the epithelium from an intralamellar hemocoel. In animals acclimated to normal sea water, five epithelial cell types can be identified in the lamellae of the posterior gills: chief cells, striated cells, pillar cells, nephrocytes, and glycocytes. Chief cells are the predominant cells in the branchial epithelium. They are squamous or low cuboidal and likely play a role in respiration. Striated cells, which are probably involved in ionoregulation, are also squamous or low cuboidal. Basal folds of the striated cells contain mitochondria and interdigitate with the bodies and processes of adjacent cells. Pillar cells span the hemocoel to link the proximal and distal sides of a lamella. Nephrocytes are large, spherical cells with voluminous vacuoles. They are rimmed by foot processes or pedicels and frequently associate with the pillar cells. Glycocytes are pleomorphic cells packed with glycogen granules and multigranular rosettes. The glycocytes often mingle with the nephrocytes. Inclusion of the nephrocytes and glycocytes as members of the branchial epithelium is justified by their participation in intercellular junctions and their position internal to the epithelial basal lamina.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Barra JA, Péqueux A, Humbert W (1983) A morphological study on gills of a crab acclimated to fresh water. Tissue Cell 15:583–596
Bubel A (1976) Histological and electron microscopical observations on the effects of different salinities and heavy metal ions, on the gills of Jaera nordmanni (Rathke) (Crustacea, Isopoda). Cell Tissue Res 167:65–95
Cavey MJ, Curtis GH (1987) Morphology of the phyllobranchiate gills of a euryhaline crab. Am Zoologist 27:151A
Cioffi M (1984) Comparative ultrastructure of arthropod transporting epithelia. Am Zoologist 24:139–156
Cloney RA, Florey E (1968) Ultrastructure of cephalopod chromatophore organs. Z Zellforsch 89:250–280
Copeland DE (1967) A study of salt secreting cells in the brine shrimp (Artemia salina). Protoplasma 63:363–384
Copeland DE (1968) Fine structure of salt and water uptake in the land-crab, Gecarcinus lateralis. Am Zoologist 8:417–432
Copeland DE, Fitzjarrell AT (1968) The salt absorbing cells in the gills of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun) with notes on modified mitochondria. Z Zellforsch 92:1–22
Cuénot L (1893) Etudes physiologiques sur les Crustacés décapodes. Arch Biol Lieges 13:245–303
Doughtie DG, Rao KR (1978) Ultrastructural changes induced by sodium pentachlorophenate in the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, in relation to the molt cycle. In: Rao KR (ed) Pentachlorophenol, Chemistry pharmacology, and environmental toxicology. Plenum Press, New York London, pp 213–250
Drach P (1930) Etude sur le système branchial des Crustacés décapodes. Arch Anat Microsc 26:83–133
Finol HJ, Croghan PC (1983) Ultrastructure of the branchial epithelium of an amphibious brackish-water crab. Tissue Cell 15:63–75
Fisher JM (1972) Fine-structural observations on the gill filaments of the fresh-water crayfish, Astacus pallipes Lereboullet. Tissue Cell 4:287–299
Foster CA, Howse HD (1978) A morphological study on gills of the brown shrimp, Penaeus aztecus. Tissue Cell 10:77–92
Gilles R, Péqueux AJR (1985) Ion transport in crustacean gills: Physiological and ultrastructural approaches. In: Gilles R, Gilles-Baillien M (eds) Transport processes, iono- and osmoregulation. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 138–158
Goodman SH, Cavey MJ (1988) Epithelial cells in the phyllobranchiate gills of the shore crab. Am Zoologist 28:142A
Johnson PT (1980) Histology of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. A model for the Decapoda. Praeger Publishers, New York, pp 84–100
Koch H (1934) Essai d'interprétation de la soi-disant “réduction vitale” de sels d'Argent par certains organes d'Arthropodes. Ann Soc Sci Med Nat Bruxelles 54B:346–361
Lockwood APM, Inman CBE, Courtenay TH (1973) The influence of environmental salinity on the water fluxes of the amphipod crustacean Gammarus duebeni. J Exp Biol 58:137–148
Luft JH (1961) Improvements in epoxy resin embedding methods. J Biophys Biochem Cytol 9:409–414
Martelo M-J, Zanders IP (1986) Modifications of gill ultrastructure and ionic composition in the crab Goniopsis cruentata acclimated to various salinities. Comp Biochem Physiol 84A:383–389
Martin J-LM, Odense PH (1974) Le fer dans la branchie des Crustacés décapodes Carcinus maenas (L.) et Homarus americanus Milne Edw.: Étude quantitative et histochimique. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 16:123–130
Milne DJ, Ellis RA (1973) The effect of salinity acclimation on the ultrastructure of the gills of Gammarus oceanicus (Segerstråle, 1947) (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Z Zellforsch 139:311–318
Morse HC, Harris PJ, Dornfeld EJ (1970) Pacifastacus leniusculus: fine structure of arthrobranch with reference to active ion uptake. Trans Am Microsc Soc 89:12–27
Nakao T (1974) Electron microscopic study of the open circulatory system of the shrimp, Caridina japonica. I. Gill capillaries. J Morphol 144:361–380
Neufeld GJ, Holliday CW, Pritchard JB (1980) Salinity adaption of gill Na, K-ATPase in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. J Exp Zool 211:215–224
Reynolds ES (1963) The use of lead citrate at high pH as an electron-opaque stain in electron microscopy. J Cell Biol 17:208–212
Richardson KC, Jarett L, Finke EH (1960) Embedding in epoxy resins for ultrathin sectioning in electron microscopy. Stain Technol 35:313–323
Siebers D, Leweck K, Markus H, Winkler A (1982) Sodium regulation in the shore crab Carcinus maenas as related to ambient salinity. Mar Biol 69:37–43
Strangways-Dixon J, Smith DS (1970) The fine structure of gill ‘podocytes’ in Panulirus argus (Crustacea). Tissue Cell 2:611–624
Talbot P, Clark Jr WH, Lawrence AL (1972) Light and electron microscopic studies on osmoregulatory tissue in the developing brown shrimp, Penaeus aztecus. Tissue Cell 4:271–286
Towle DW, Kays WT (1986) Basolateral localization of Na++K+-ATPase in gill epithelium of two osmoregulating crabs, Callinectes sapidus and Carcinus maenas. J Exp Zool 239:311–318
Wood RL, Luft JH (1965) The influence of buffer systems on fixation with osmium tetroxide. J Ultrastruct Res 12:22–45
Wright KA (1964) The fine structure of the nephrocyte of the gills of two marine decapods. J Ultrastruct Res 10:1–13
Zatta P, Milanesi C (1984) Ultrastruttura delle branchie di Carcinus maenas. Boll Soc Ital Biol Sper 60:1385–1391
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goodman, S.H., Cavey, M.J. Organization of a phyllobranchiate gill from the green shore crab Carcinus maenas (Crustacea, Decapoda). Cell Tissue Res 260, 495–505 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00297229
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00297229