Abstract

There are 21 trichobranchiate gills on marron, Cherax tenuimanus, plus an epipodite on maxilliped 1: podobranchs on thoracomeres 2-7; anterior arthrobranchs on thoracomeres 2-7; posterior arthrobranchs on thoracomeres 3-7; and pleurobranchs on thoracomeres 5-8. The podobranchs bear filaments on the main stem of the gill and on the ala. Branchial filaments along the posterior margin of the main podobranch stem and those distal to the ala terminate in sharp points. The remainder of filaments on the stem are rounded apically. The filaments of the ala are hooked apically. Staining with Ag indicates the likely function of gill filaments as ion transport for stained gills, and a respiratory function for non-stained (or weakly mottled) gills. Stained filaments have thick epithelium, with apical infoldings and mitochondria; nonstaining filaments have thin epithelium. The podobranchs and anterior arthrobranchs have predominantly an ion transport function, as shown by the dominance of staining filaments. Rounded filaments take up Ag strongly; filaments with little or no Ag uptake were pointed, apically. This paper raises the possibility of countercurrent water - haemolymph flow across some of the podobranchial proximal filaments.

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