STUDIES ON THE STRUCTURE OF HEART OF TWO FRESHWATER PRAWNS UNDER LIGHT MICROSCOPE
HARNAM SINGH LODHI *
PRAWN RESEARCH CENTRE, DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF LUCKNOW, LUCKNOW-226 007, INDI
SANJIVE SHUKLA *
DEPTT. OF ZOOLOGY, B.S.N.V. (PG) COLLEGE, LUCKNOW-226 001, INDIA
U.D. SHARMA *
PRAWN RESEARCH CENTRE, DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF LUCKNOW, LUCKNOW-226 007, INDIA
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Heart of fresh water prawns, Macrobrachium lamarrei (H. Milne Edwards) and Macrobrachium dayanum (Handerson) are situated in cephalothoracic cavity above the hepatopancreas and gonads. Triangular hearts are perforated by five pairs of ostia in both the species. Each ostium is situated in depression with guard-cell like valves. Histologically there are two layers, outer epicardium or adventitia, and inner myocardium or muscularis separated with each other by thin basal lamina. Musular strands divide the lumen of heart into three chambers, two small lateral and one large median. Anteriorly five arteries and posteriorly two arteries emerge from heart. The heart of M. dayanum is slightly bigger in size than M. lamarrei. Functional aspects of different components of heart have also been discussed.
Keywords: Heart, Anatomy, Histology, Macrobrachium lamarrei, Macrobrachium dayanum