About Lesson
Respiratory organs in elasmobranchs
- Most elasmobranchs possess 5 pairs of gill slits and a pair of spiracles.
- There is no operculum covering the gill slits in cartilaginous fishes.
- A demibranch is a bunch of gill lamellae attached to one side of the interbranchial septum.
- Hence, there are altogether 9 pairs of demibranchs in elasmobranchs.
- Between the two demibranchs lies the interbranchial septum, which is supported by gill cartilages.
- Anterior to the first-gill slit is a spiracle or pseudobranch. In free-swimming sharks and dogfishes water generally enters through the mouth.
- Blood to the gills is supplied by five pairs of afferent branchial arteries coming from the ventral aorta and hence they bring deoxygenated blood from the heart.
- Blood is then oxygenated in gills and is collected by the loops of four pairs of efferent branchial arteries and carried to the paired dorsal aorta, the two sides of which meet posteriorly to form a single median dorsal aorta that supplies oxygen-rich blood to the whole body.