Book lung, form of respiratory organ found in certain air-breathing arachnid arthropods (scorpions and some spiders). Each book lung consists of a series of thin plates that are highly vascular (i.e., richly supplied with blood) and are arranged in relation to each other like the pages of a book. These plates extend into an internal pouch formed by the external skeleton that opens to the exterior by a small slit. This provides an extensive surface for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the surrounding air. There are four pairs in scorpions and up to two in spiders.
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respiratory system: Trachea…spiders consist of peculiar “book lungs,” leaflike plates over which air circulates through slits on the abdomen. The book lungs contain blood vessels that bring the blood into close contact with the surface exposed to the air and where gas exchange between blood and air occurs. In addition to…
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spider: Respiration…in the abdomen, consists of book lungs and tracheae. In spiders the book lungs are paired respiratory organs composed of 10 to 80 hollow leaves that extend into a blood sinus separated by small hardened columns. The lungs open into chambers (atria), which open to the outside through one or…
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arachnid: Respiration…organs are found among arachnids: book lungs and tracheae. Book lungs are found in hardened pockets generally located on the underside of the abdomen. Diffusion of gases occurs between the hemolymph circulating within thin leaflike structures (lamellae) stacked like pages in a book within the pocket and the air in…
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scorpion: Internal featuresBook lungs consist of a cavity created by an infolding of the exoskeleton that encloses internal parallel leaves (lamellae) of thin cuticle across which gas exchange occurs. A sinus surrounds the book lungs, and the heart pumps blood into and out of the lamellae indirectly…
ADDITIONAL MEDIA
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4 references found in Britannica articlesAssorted References
- arachnids
- scorpions
- spiders