Fine Structure of the Gills ofJaera Nordmanni(Rathke) [Crustacea, Isopoda]

Abstract

The isopod genusJaeraLeach (Crustacea) is a common component of the fauna in estuaries (Green, 1968; Jones & Naylor, 1971; Naylor, 1972; Jones, 1974). The members of this genus are able to survive low salinity (Jones, 1972a; Harvey, Jones & Naylor, 1973) by active control of the osmotic concentration of the body fluids above that of the external environment (Jones, 1972&; Forbes, 1974). While it has been well established that the crustacean gill is the site of the transport system involved in osmoregulation (Koch, 1954; Shaw, i960; Bielawski, 1964; Croghan, Curra & Lockwood, 1965; Quinn & Lane, 1966), there have been few studies on the fine structure of this organ (Copeland, 1968; Copeland & Fitzjarrell, 1968; Bielawski, 1971; Fisher, 1972; Talbot, Clark & Lawrence, 1972; Lockwood, Inman & Courtenay, 1973). The present paper describes the structure of the gills ofJaera nordmanni(Rathke) and relates the role of the various elements observed to the physiological functioning of the gill.