Spiral Valve

Also found in: Medical, Wikipedia

0.01 sec.

spiral valve [′spī·rəl ¦valv]

(vertebrate zoology)

A spiral fold of mucous membrane in the small intestine of elasmobranchs and some primitive fishes which increases the surface area for absorption.

Spiral Valve

a fold of mucous membrane in the large intestine of lampreys and certain fishes that is arranged spirally with as many as 40 turns. The spiral valve increases the absorbing surface of the intestine and slows the movement of food through the intestine, thus causing a short straight intestine to resemble a long convoluted one functionally. A spiral valve characterizes sharks, rays, chimaeras, lungfishes, cartilaginous and bony ganoid fishes, and polypteroids.

Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.

?Page tools

Printer friendly
Cite / link

Feedback

Mentioned in	?		References in periodicals archive	?		Encyclopedia browser	?		Full browser	?
No references found			This indicates that these cololites are not from taxa that contained a spiral valve, and are thus not attributed to sharks or rays. Coprolites, cololites, and fish fossils in the Mississippian Michigan ... by Regenmorter, John Van; Videtich, Patricia E.; Neal, William J. / Michigan Academician The narrow diameter of the spiral valve in the elasmobranch gastrointestinal tract would likely be too narrow to allow the undamaged passage of an object the size of a PSAT, even for a large shark. Evidence of shark predation and scavenging on fishes equipped with ... by Kerstetter, David W.; Polovina, Jeffery J.; Graves, John E. / Fishery Bulletin The fish also has a long spiral valve in its intestine, which slows the passage of food and enables it to be more completely digested. The Latest Pisces of an Evolutionary Puzzle by PERKINS, SID / Science News			spiral gage Spiral Galaxy spiral ganglion spiral gear spiral grain spiral layer spiral ligament spiral model spiral mold cooling spiral nebula spiral of Archimedes spiral organ spiral pipe spiral plate exchanger spiral pressure gage spiral ramp system spiral ratchet screwdriver spiral reinforcement spiral ring structure spiral scanning spiral spring spiral stair spiral staircase spiral thermometer spiral tower Spiral Valve spiral welded pipe spiral wire column spiral-jaw clutch spiral-tube heat exchanger Spiralization of Chromosomes spirally reinforced column spiramycin Spiran Spirant spiraster Spire spire-steeple spirea spirelet spirelight spiricle Spiridon Beshulia Spiridon Dmitrievich Drozhzhin Spiridon Drozhzhin Spiridon Erofeevich Beshulia Spiridon Lampros Spiridon Mikhailov Spiridon Mikhailovich Mikhailov Spiridonova, Mariia Spiridonova, Mariia Aleksandrovna			Spiral Plate Count spiral plate exchanger Spiral Point of Intersection spiral pressure gage spiral ramp system spiral ratchet screwdriver spiral ratchet screwdriver spiral reinforcement spiral reverse bandage spiral ring structure Spiral Saphenous Vein Graft Spiral saw spiral scanning Spiral septum Spiral septum Spiral septum Spiral septum Spiral shell Spiral Spin Density Wave spiral spring spiral spring spiral stair spiral stair Spiral staircase Spiral staircase spiral thermometer Spiral to Curve Spiral to Tangent spiral tower spiral up Spiral Valve spiral vein of modiolus spiral vein of modiolus spiral vein of modiolus Spiral Welded spiral welded pipe spiral wire column spiral worm spiral worm spiral worm spiral worm Spiral Wound Heat Exchangers spiral-bound spiral-bound Spiral-bound notebook Spiral-bound notebook Spiral-bound notebook Spiral-bound notebook Spiral-in-Spiral-out spiral-jaw clutch Spiral-Shaped Defected Ground Structure spiral-shelled spiral-tube heat exchanger Spirale inflazionistica Spirale prix salaires Spirale prix-salaires spiraled spiraled spiraled spiraled spiraled

Encyclopedia

Free Tools:	For surfers: Free toolbar & extensions \| Word of the Day \| Help For webmasters: Free content \| Linking \| Lookup box \| Double-click lookup

Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.