Book Lungs In Arachnids

Paul r fincke t 1989 book lung function in arachnids ii.

Book lungs in arachnids. Below is a cross section diagram with 16 being the book lung. Book lung form of respiratory organ found in certain air breathing arachnid arthropods scorpions and some spiders. For spiders with a trachea the trachea is located at the posterior end which is toward the back end of the spider.

Book lungs are the main respiratory organ in most arachnids spiders and scorpions. This is essentially the book gill of the horseshoe crab evolved to be located within the spider s body and supplied with air through a small opening. Book lungs are similar to book gills which.

Book lungs are within small openings in the abdomen of the arachnid. Because of the high postactive co 2 release due to the buffering of d lactate respiration and acid base control are strongly related in the arachnids investigated. Scorpions have a similar setup.

Fast forward to modern day spiders close relatives of the horseshoe crab. J comp physiol b 159 419 432. Arachnids have two types of respiratory organs.

There are characteristics that are particularly important for the terrestrial lifestyle of arachnids such as internal respiratory surfaces in the form of tracheae or modification of the book gill into a book lung an internal series of vascular lamellae used for gas exchange with the air. Between the plates there is an air space and this allows air to circulate around the plates. Carbon dioxide release and its relations to respiratory surface water loss and heart frequency.

The first are called book lungs which get their name because they look like stacked pages of a book. The book lungs located inside the arachnid are made up of several thin membranes somewhere between 10 and 80 depending the species. The book lungs themselves consist of a series of haemolymph filled plate like structures.