ULTRASTRUCTURAL FEATURES OF CRAYFISH PHASIC AND TONIC MUSCLE FIBERS

Abstract

Phasic and tonic muscle fibers from the abdominal extensor muscles of the crayfish, Procambarus clarki and Orconectes virilis, were examined for differences in fine structure with the electron microscope. The myofibrils of the two types of fiber were similar in size as seen in transverse section, unlike those in vertebrate twitch and tonus fibers. The ratio of thin to thick filaments was about 5:1 in tonic fibers and 3:1 in phasic fibers. Neuromuscular synapses in tonic fibers were enclosed by arms of noncontractile sarcoplasm, whereas the synapses seen in phasic fibers lacked this feature.