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Re: Rivulus capillary respiration
Here in Ohio we have a giant salamander called the Hellbender that breathes
through its skin although it also has gills. It can get almost two and a half
feet long. I guess a fish also having auxilliary breathing though it skin is
not as totally preposterous as it sounds. By the way, the hellbender,
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis, in contrast to marmoratus et al, is totally
aquatic and never leaves the water.
There are weirder things yet. Used to be, I could collect a huge aquatic
maggot among wet tree leaves in temporary water to feed my fish. This rat-tail
maggot practices intestinal breathing. A tube which extends, gives it the
common name, rat-tail. The adult fly which comes from these is a bumblebee
mimic.