Coxal Gland

coxal gland, in certain arthropods, one of a pair of excretory organs consisting of an end sac where initial urine is collected, a tubule where secretion and reabsorption may take place, and an excretory pore at the base (coxa) of one of the legs. Variations among the species include highly convoluted tubule sections, doubling back of straight tubule sections, and expansion of the terminal end into a bladder. In many higher crustaceans the excretory glands are located in the head. They are called antennal glands or maxillary glands, depending on whether they open at the base of the antennae or at the maxillae. If the tubule adjacent to the excretory pore is green, the gland is called a green gland.