Summary
The sinus glands of the Brachyura are composed of swollen nerve fiber endings, which store and release secretory material synthesized within cells of the eyestalks, the brain and probably the thoracic ganglionic mass. Removal of the sinus glands from the land crab, Gecarcinus lateralis, does not induce molt, because sinus glands are reservoirs, not sources, of molt-inhibiting hormone. Increase in respiratory rate and fall in respiratory quotient, which follow eyestalk removal and signify the approach of molt, do not occur after sinus gland removal.
From recent studies on the eyestalks and brain of the crayfish, Cambarus virilis, it is clear that morphologically the neurosecretory system of this crayfish is similar to that of the land crab. There is a marked resemblance in arrangement of neurosecretory cells and in pathways followed by the fibers, the endings of which form the sinus glands. “Maps” of eyestalks and brain of Cambarus and Gecarcinus emphasize this fundamental likeness between an astacuran and a brachyuran. Regions in which neurosecretory cells are found have been numbered so that these maps may guide cytological and physiological study on these species and on other decapod Crustacea.
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The preparation of this paper was aided by a National Science Foundation (USA.) grant to the first author and by the use of the American Table at the Naples Zoological Station.
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Bliss, D.E., Durand, J.B. & Welsh, J.H. Neurosecretory systems in decapod Crustacea. Z. Zellforsch. 39, 520–536 (1954). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00334801
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00334801