Printed in Great Britain ASPECTS OF THE PHYSIOLOGY OF TERRESTRIAL LIFE IN AMPHIBIOUS FISHES III. THE CHINESE MUDSKIPPER PERIOPHTHALMUS CANTONENSIS

the Chinese mudskipper fish, Periophthalmus cantonensis have been studied. 2. The basic amphibious features were comparable to those found earlier in the East African mudskipper species, Periophthalmus sobrinus. The fish can survive for up to 2 | days out of water, under moderate environ-mental conditions, and did not drown in aerated water. Durations of volun-tary periods out of contact with water, in nature, were short. Evaporative water loss rates while out of water were relatively low, substantially below those of frogs of much larger size. The 'diving syndrome ' was absent, metabolic rates, heart rates, and blood lactic acid levels all being unaffected by shifts of fish between water and air. 3. During slow desiccation of intact fish, water was lost from the internal organs in the following sequence (from greatest to least proportional water losses): heart, blood, white muscle, brain, liver. Rapid desiccations withdrew water from the blood and heart, leaving hydration levels of other organs unaffected