Respiration and Feeding

Scintilla spp. has complex lamellibranch gills which are adapted for use in both respiration and feeding. Each individual has two gills, each called a holobranch, which is in turn made up of 2 demibranchs consisting of 4 lamellae each. Water passes through the inhalant siphon then passes through the lamellae where oxygen uptake occurs before exiting through the exhalant siphon. Lateral cilia create a water current to facilitate this process while frontal cilia transport food particles over the surface of the lamellae to food grooves, as shown in Figure 1. Gas exchange can also occur at the inner surface of the mantle skirt and on the foot, wherever epithelia is exposed (Ruppert et al.).

A more detailed description of the structure and morphology of lamellibranch gills is provided in Internal Anatomy