A scanning electron microscope study of the pseudobranchs of two marine teleosts

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The pseudobranchs of bass, Dicentrarchus labrax L., and grey mullet, Liza ramada (Risso) (Mugil capito), were examined in the scanning electron microscope (S.E.M.). Both pseudobranchs appeared gill‐like in situ but the S.E.M. revealed their gross morphology to be different. The bass pseudobranch was a‘free’ pseudobranch, having separate lamellae along the filaments, with areas of fusion on the leading edges of some lamellae, whilst the mullet pseudobranch was ‘semi‐free’ since the secondary lamellae were fused over a large area and only free along their trailing (opercular) edge where the chloride cells were situated. The surface of the epithelial cells presented different patterns of microridges and microvilli depending on their position in the pseudobranch. Three types of cell opening were found at the cell surface, belonging to chloride cells, mucous cells, and possibly rodlet cells. The S.E.M. observations were correlated with those of transmission electron microscope (T.E.M.) studies.