Land crabs with smooth lungs: Grapsidae, Gecarcinidae, and Sundathelphusidae ultrastructure and vasculature.

Abstract

The highly terrestrial grapsids and gecarcinids and the amphibious sundathelphusids all have large, expanded branchial chambers. The lining of the branchial chambers is smooth and well vascularized, and it functions as a lung. The respiratory membrane and the cuticle lining the lung are extremely thin (200-350 nm). The blood vessels within the lung are formed from connective tissue cells supported by collagen fibres and lined by a basal lamina. The major vessels in the lung are embedded deep in the branchiostegite and lie just beneath the thick outer carapace. These vessels branch towards the respiratory membrane, where they eventually lose their connective tissue coverings to form thin, flattened lacunae directly below the respiratory epithelium. The lacunae (exchange sites) are bordered by specialized connective tissue cells, which either bear microvilli on their apical surface (fimbriated cells) or are very smooth. The respiratory circulation in the lung is very complex, with two portal systems present between the afferent and efferent systems, producing a total of three lacunal exchange beds. Portal systems increase the surface area available for gas exchange. The major distributing vessel in the lung is the branchiostegal vein, which runs along the inner margin of the branchiostegite. The main venous supplies come anteriorly from the infraorbital and ventral sinuses and posteriorly from the procardial sinus. The main collecting vessel is the pulmonary vein, which arises anteriorly and which runs around the ventral perimeter of the branchiostegite before emptying into the pericardial sinus. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.