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Vascular organization of the catfish gill filament

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Summary

Light and scanning electron microscopic observations were made on methyl-methacrylate corrosion casts of the blood vessels in the gills of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). The vasculature of the gill filament can be divided into three distinct pathways: 1. the well-known respiratory circulation which includes the afferent filamental artery (AF), afferent lamellar arteriole (AL), lamella (L), efferent lamellar arteriole (EL) and efferent filamental artery (EF), 2. a nutritive pathway from the EF through small nutritive capillaries (NC) and into one of several filamental veins (FV), and 3. an interlamellar circulation in which small prelamellar arterio-venous anastomoses (PAVA) connect the AL into a series of organized vascular spaces (interlamellar vessels, ILV's) that underlie the interlamellar filamental epithelium. Several sinuslike spaces associated with AF, EF and the filamental cartilagenous support were also observed. The physiological significance of these vascular pathways is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University School of Medicine, South Bend Center, University of Notre Dame, 46556, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA

    E. J. Boland &  K. R. Olson

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  1. E. J. Boland
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  2. K. R. Olson
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Additional information

Supported in part by NSF Grant No. PCM 76-16840

The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Mr. P. Holbert, Miss K. Drajus and Mrs. J. Smith. Gratitude is expressed by Kenneth R. Olson to Dr. Janice Nowell for her helpful suggestions with corrosion casting techniques

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Boland, E.J., Olson, K.R. Vascular organization of the catfish gill filament. Cell Tissue Res. 198, 487–500 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00234193

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