Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria (Jun 2000)
Stomach as an additional respiratory organ, as exemplified by Ancistrus multispinnis (Couvier et Valenciennes, 1937), Siluriformes, Teleostei
Abstract
Read online Read online Read online
The micro- and ultrastructure of intestinal wall of 29 individuals of Ancistrus multispinnis was examined under the scanning and transmission electron microscopes. The presence of cellular structures, analogous to type I pneumocytes forming the mammalian pulmonary lining, was identified in the stomach corpus. Cells of a morphology similar to that of neuroendocrine cells of the salamander lungs were found as well. The pulmonary-cerebral capillaries were identified in the stomach corpus. The observations demonstrated that the stomach of A. multispinnis was able to function as an additional respiratory organ.