A Short-Wavelength Photoreceptor Class in a Deep-Sea Shrimp

Authors

Thomas W. Cronin, University of Maryland
Tamara M. Frank, Harbor Branch Oceanographic InstitutionFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-22-1996

Publication Title

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

ISSN

0962-8452

Volume

263

Issue/No.

1372

First Page

861

Last Page

865

Abstract

In the world of midwater, mesopelagic animals, downwelling sunlight is filtered by the overlying water to a limited waveband centered near 475 nm. Consequently, the visual pigments of most of these species absorb maximally between 450 and 500 nm. The only exceptions occur in some fishes, which have additional visual pigments absorbing at long wavelengths (550-580 nm) matched to their red bioluminescence. We now find that the mesopelagic decapod shrimp Systellaspis debilis has two visual pigments. One of these absorbs maximally in the expected range (λ_max = 498 nm). but the other is maximally sensitive at very short wavelengths, approaching the near-ultraviolet (λ_max = 410 nm). The discovery of a visual receptor class absorbing at such short wavelengths in a mesopelagic animal suggests that visual systems in the deep sea may be far more diverse, and potentially more complex, than previously suspected.

Comments

©1996 The Royal Society

Additional Comments

NSF grant #: IBN-9413357

NSUWorks Citation

Thomas W. Cronin and Tamara M. Frank. 1996. A Short-Wavelength Photoreceptor Class in a Deep-Sea Shrimp .Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences , (1372) : 861 -865. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facarticles/458.