Fine structure of the external egg membrane of five species of Pacific salmon and steelhead trout

Fine structure of the external egg membrane of five species of Pacific salmon (sockeye, Oncorhynchus nerka; pink, O. gorbuscha; chum, O. keta; coho, O. kisutch; and chinook, O. tshawytscha) and the anadromous steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri), is examined and compared using the scanning electron microscope. Membrane thickness in fixed material varies for the six species as follows (micrometres, ): sockeye, 34.15 ± 0.15; pink, 61.64 ± 1.53; chum, 53.05 ± 0.33; coho, 27.96 ± 0.48; chinook, 50.82 ± 0.74; steelhead, 30.74 ± 0.11. The membrane consists of a thin outermost layer, the externus, 0.2–0.3 μm thick, and the internus, 24–55 μm thick, which constitutes the remainder of the membrane. In sockeye, pink, and chum salmon and steelhead trout, an additional layer 3–8 μm thick, the "subinternus," occurs beneath the internus. The entire membrane appears fibrous except for the thin and apparently solid externus. Pores in both the inner and outer surfaces are arranged in a hexagonal pattern and are connected by ...