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Respiratory surface areas of an air‐breathing siluroid fish Saccobranchus (Heteropneustes) fossilis in relation to body size
Author(s) -
Hughes G. M.,
Singh B. R.,
Guha G.,
Dube S. C.,
Munshi J. S. Datta
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1974.tb04103.x
Subject(s) - gill , heteropneustes fossilis , biology , anatomy , respiratory system , fish <actinopterygii> , body weight , fishery , catfish , endocrinology
The surface area of the gills, air sacs and skin have been measured in specimens of different body size and their relationship to body weight fits the equation: area= aW b . The slopes ( b ) of the double logarithmic plots are 0.746 (gills), 0.662 (air sacs) and 0.684 (skin). The gills are poorly developed and their average weight specific area is less than figures obtained for sluggish marine fishes. The skin has an area about 70% of the total respiratory surfaces (gills+air sac+skin). Nevertheless the greater thickness of the skin leads to a smaller diffusing capacity of the tissue barrier ( D t ) as compared with the gills and air sac. The air sac area for each ml of air that it contains is about 10.5 cm 2 which is much lower than figures obtained for lungs of other air‐breathing fish and for tetrapods.