Vascular and Microvascular Anatomy of the Gill of the Southern Rock Lobster, Jasus Novaehollandiae Holthius

Abstract

The vascular architecture of the gill of J. novaehollandiae was studied by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and vascular casting. Before fixation or infusion of the vascular casting medium, haemolymph was flushed from the lobster using 3.5% saline infused into the dorsal aorta. J. novaehollandiae has a complex gill circulation, with three types of gill filament present. The fewer, but larger, inner filaments have a longitudinal septum, from 3 to 8 µm thick, dividing them into afferent and efferent channels. By contrast, the septum in the outer filaments is 11-22 µmthick. Middle filaments, found between the inner and outer ones, have two septa dividing them into three channels. ..