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Gill structure and morphometry of its respiratory components in the Baikalian golomyankas (Comephoridae; Cottoidei; Pisces)
Author(s) -
Jakubowski Michal
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of morphology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1097-4687
pISSN - 0362-2525
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4687(199604)228:1<19::aid-jmor2>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - biology , anatomy , lamella (surface anatomy) , gill , allometry , cottidae , ontogeny , zoology , fish <actinopterygii> , sculpin , ecology , fishery , genetics
All four pairs of gill arches in Comephorus baicalensis and C. dybowskii (Comephoridae) are well developed. In contrast to other Baikalian cottoids (Cottidae, Abyssocottidae), the slit behind the fourth arch is well preserved and two hemibranchs are present on this arch in the golomyankas. These anatomical details are considered to contradict the opinion that Comephoridae may be derived from other Baikalian Cottoidei. The arches in golomyankas are elongated and equipped with very strong spinous gill‐rakers. The external sides of the upper and lower jaws are covered with numerous spinelike denticles, the apices of which are bent toward the mouth cavity. The denticles and the spinous gill‐rakers are considered to be a specific adaptation in sluggish golomyankas for precise grasping of zooplankton of different sizes, as well as fish larvae. Respiratory components of the gill apparatus in the golomyankas are reduced considerably because of short gill filaments and the sparce distribution of small respiratory lamella on them. The allometry for the relationships between gill respiratory surface area (GRSA) and body mass (Y = aW b ) in both golomyankas is biphasic: in juvenile immature C. baicalensis Yj = 199.013 W 1.057 and in mature animals Ym = 322.354 W 0.731 . In C. dybowskii the values for immature and mature animals are Yj = 95.736 W 1.190 and Ym = 199.609W 0.707 , respectively. In the sluggish bathypelagic golomyankas ( Comephorus ) the GRSA per body weight unit is 5–6 times smaller than that found in more active secondarily pelagic Baikalian sculpins ( Cottocomephorus ) examined previously. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.