Accessory Respiratory Organs in Fishes
Accessory Respiratory Organs in Fishes
Accessory Respiratory Organs in Fishes
Contents
Accessory respiratory organs
Types of accessory respiratory organs
Important modifications in some species
Swim bladder
Functions of accessory respiratory organs
Invited Lecture Series for Fisheries Students, HNBGU, SRT Campus, Dated: 03-12-2021
• Since Amphipnous and Mastacembelus live in oxygen deficient stagnant water, the skin
is of little use for respiration but it plays an important role in extracting oxygen from air,
when the fishes are exposed in drying up muddy ponds, or when fish is moving out of
water. The glandular secretions of the skin protect it from desiccation in the air.
Invited Lecture Series for Fisheries Students, HNBGU, SRT Campus, Dated: 03-12-2021
2. Bucco-Pharyngeal Epithelium:
In most of the fishes, the epithelial lining of buccal cavity and pharynx is usually
highly vascular and permeable to gases in water.
It may remain simple or may develop folds, pleats or tongues projecting into the
buccal cavity and pharynx to make it an efficient respiratory organ.
In mudskippers (Periophthalmus and
Boleophthalmus) the highly vascularised
bucco-pharyngeal epithelium helps in
absorbing oxygen directly from the
atmosphere. These tropical fishes leave
water and spend most of the time skipping
or walking about through damp areas
particularly round the roots of the
mangroove trees. The old idea that the
mudskippers use the vascular tail as the
respiratory organ is not supported by
recent ichthyologists.
Invited Lecture Series for Fisheries Students, HNBGU, SRT Campus, Dated: 03-12-2021
3. Gut Epithelium:
In several fishes epithelial lining of certain parts of alimentary canal
becomes vascular and modified to serve as a respiratory organ. It
may be just behind stomach (Misgurus fossilis) or intestine
(Lepidocephalus guntea, Gobitus (giant loach of Europe) or rectum
(Callichthyes, Hypostomus and Doras).
Fresh air is drawn through mouth or anus and after gaseous
exchange the gas is voided through the anus. In these fishes the
wall of the gut is modified to perform the respiratory function. The
walls of the gut in these areas become thin due to the reduction of
muscular layers.
Invited Lecture Series for Fisheries Students, HNBGU, SRT Campus, Dated: 03-12-2021
4. Outgrowths of Pelvic Fins:
In American lung fish, Lepidosiren, during breeding time, the pelvic fins of
male become enlarged and grow filamentous vascular outgrowths which
provide fresh oxygen to the guarded eggs.
6. Branchial Diverticula:
The outgrowths from gill-chambers form more
complicated aerial accessory respiratory organs than the
simpler pharyngeal outgrowths in other fishes. Such air
breathing organs are present in Heteropneustes, Clarias,
Anabas, Trichogaster, Macropodus, Betta etc.
Invited Lecture Series for Fisheries Students, HNBGU, SRT Campus, Dated: 03-12-2021
7. Pharyngeal Diverticula:
Pharyngeal diverticula are a pair of simple sac-like outgrowths of pharynx,
lined by thickened vascular epithelium and extending above the gills. In
Channa (Ophiocephalus), the accessory respiratory organs are relatively
simpler and consist of a pair of air-chambers.
These are developed from the pharynx and not from the branchial chambers
as seen in others. The air-chambers are simple sac-like structures. In Channa
striatus, the vascular epithelium lining the chambers becomes folded to form
some alveoli. The gill-filaments are greatly reduced in size.
In cuchia eel, Amphipnous cuchia, the accessory respiratory organs consist of
a pair of vascular sac-like diverticula from the pharynx above the gills. These
diverticula open anteriorly into first gill-slit.
These diverticula function physiologically as the lungs. The gills are greatly
reduced and a few rudimentary gill-filaments are present on the second of
the three remaining gill-arches. The third gill-arch is found to bear fleshy
vascular (respiratory) epithelium.
Invited Lecture Series for Fisheries Students, HNBGU, SRT Campus, Dated: 03-12-2021
Invited Lecture Series for Fisheries Students, HNBGU, SRT Campus, Dated: 03-12-2021
Swim Bladder/Air-Bladder
Swim-bladder of teleosts is essentially a hydrostatic organ. But in lower bony
fishes (dipnoans and ganoids), the air-bladder acts like a lung to breathe air
and is truly an accessory respiratory organ. The wall of bladder is vascular
and sacculated with alveoli. In Amia and Lepidosteus, the wall of the swim-
bladder is sacculated and resembles lung.
In Polypterus, the swim-bladder is more lung-like and gets a pair of
pulmonary arteries arising from the last pair of epibranchial arteries. The
swim-bladder in dipnoans resembles strikingly the tetrapod lung in structure
as well as in function. In Neoceratodus, it is single but in Protopterus and
Lepidosiren it is bilobed.
The inner surface of the lung is increased by spongy alveolar structures. In
these fishes, the lung is mainly respiratory in function during aestivation
because the gills become useless during this period.
Similar to Polypterus, the lung in dipnoans gets the pulmonary arteries from
the last epibranchial arteries. The swim-bladder of feather tail, Notopterus
notopterus has a wide pneumatic duct and a network of blood capillaries
covered by a thin epithelium in its wall. This helps in exchange of gases.
Invited Lecture Series for Fisheries Students, HNBGU, SRT Campus, Dated: 03-12-2021
Invited Lecture Series for Fisheries Students, HNBGU, SRT Campus, Dated: 03-12-2021
The fishes possessing such respiratory organs are capable of living in water
where oxygen concentration is very low. Under this condition these fishes
come to the surface of water to gulp in air for transmission to the accessory
respiratory organs.
If these fishes are prevented from coming to the surface, they will die due to
asphyxiation for want of oxygen. So the acquisition of accessory respiratory
organs in fishes is an adaptive feature.
Further it has been observed that the rate of absorption of oxygen in such
organs is much higher than the rate of elimination of carbon dioxide.
Hence, it is natural that the gills excrete most of the carbon dioxide.
Absorption of oxygen appears to be the primary function of the accessory
respiratory organs.
Invited Lecture Series for Fisheries Students, HNBGU, SRT Campus, Dated: 03-12-2021
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