A study of specialized cells of the tracheal gills of Paragnetina media (Plecoptera)

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Abstract
Light and electron microscopic examination of the gills of the plecopteran nymph Paragnetina media revealed a highly tracheated epithelium with many specialized cells. These cells show several features characteristic of the osmoregulatory tissue of other animals. In the cell, numerous mitochondria are lodged in elongated folds of the plasma membrane in such a way that they are brought into a very close relationship to an area of the cell surface. It is assumed that this arrangement provides metabolically active surface for the exchange of materials, absorption, or excretion. It is most likely that the gills can absorb salt from the water, and thus compensate for the loss of salt through the urine. The distinctive cuticular plaque which forms the interface of each cell with the external environment is featured and discussed too.

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