Abstract
The surface morphology of the ctenidia of Spondylus spinosus Schreibers, 1793 was studied with light and scanning electron microscopy for comparison with the gill structures of other bivalves. The demibranch of S. spinosus is heterorhabdic, with the principal filaments at the descending lamellae and ordinary filaments at the ascending lamellae. The gill lamellae have a prominent gauze-like structure at their distal part, with numerous groups of eight ordinary filaments. They bear ciliary arrays on their frontal surfaces and ostia at their latero-frontal surfaces. Frequent cirral plates form regular interfilamentary junctions. The description of the gill structure of S. spinosus presented here can be used to derive implications for the correlations among the structure, habitat and mode of life of this species. At a particular stage of its adult life, Spondylus spinosus could be used as a subject for biomonitoring studies in natural and experimental environments.
Highlights
Species of Spondylus Linnaeus, 1758, known as spiny oysters, are the only bivalve molluscs of the family Spondylidae Gray, 1826
Light microscopy revealed that the general structure of the gills in S. spinosus was similar, in part, to that described for other bivalves, such as Mytilidae and Pectinidae (BENNINGER & ST JEAN 1997, GREGORY & GEORGE 2000, BENNINGER & DECOTTIGNES 2008)
Ciliation covers both the frontal surface and the lateral surfaces of the gill, and scattered cilia were described on the abfrontal surface of the ordinary filaments (DUFOUR & BENINGER 2001, DAVID & FONTANETTI 2005)
Summary
Species of Spondylus Linnaeus, 1758, known as spiny oysters, are the only bivalve molluscs of the family Spondylidae Gray, 1826. As a result of evolutionary processes, the gills of Spondylus spp. perform many functions, collecting food particles and facilitating the dispersal of gametes in addition to their role in respiration, which includes establishing a water current in the mantle cavity as part of the circulatory system (GOSLING 2003). In species of Bivalvia, the gills and digestive glands are the first organs exposed to water and its pollutants (DOMOUHTSIDOU & DIMITRIADIS 2000). Despite the abundance of the genus in tropical and subtropical seawaters worldwide, very little is known about the basic biology and ecology of Spondylus spp. Some research on the reproductive biology of several species has been performed (VILLALEJO-FUERTE et al 2002), very little information is available on the morphology of the organs of this bivalve (YOUNGE 1973). The main purpose of this study was to use light and scanning electron microscopy to provide detailed information on the structure of the gill filaments of S. spinosus, as we believe that an understanding of this structure will serve as a tool of fundamental importance in biomonitoring studies
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