Eranchial Glands and the Problem of Chloride Regulation in the Gills of a Freshwater Cobitid fish, Lepidocephalichthys guntea (Ham).

Abstract

Abstract The gills in fishes are generally recognized as the site for extra renal salt regulation, the exact cellular location being the large acidophil cells or “chloride cells”. Munshi (1964) reported mucous gland cells responsible for chloride regulation in 5 species of fresh water teleosts belonging to different genera and families.
In the present study, two types of specialized cells were found: (a) the mucous gland cells which in addition of secreting mucous, give positive reaction for chloride, indicating thereby that they also play active role in chloride regulation and (b) large acidophil cells which show almost all the characterestic features of “chloride cells” but fail to give positive reaction for chloride.
It is therefore, argued that the cobitid fish in a fresh water habitat utilizes mucous gland cells as the site for chloride regulation and the acidophil cells (“chloride cells”) are engaged in some other business, probably taking active part in carbonydratelipid metabolism of the gills.