Abstract
The gross morphology of the maxillary gland of the adult brine shrimp, Artemia salina, was studied by light microscopy, and some features of Warren's (1938) original description of the gland were confirmed. Each gland consists of two parts: an end-sac and an efferent excretory duct. The end-sac is centrally located, and around it the efferent duct coils, making three loops before continuing as a slender terminal duct which opens to the outside via an aperture on the second maxilla. The fine structure of the end-sac epithelium is remarkably similar to that of the visceral layer of Bowman's capsule of a vertebrate nephron. The cells of the end-sac are highly branched and possess regularly arranged foot processes and junctional elements similar to “filtration slit membranes”. The cytoplasm of these cells contains numerous, membrane-bounded inclusions of unknown origin and function. On the basis of ultrastructural findings, it is postulated that formation of primary urine involves ultrafiltration.
Published Version
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