Color receptors in marine crustaceans: A second spectral class of retinular cell in the compound eyes ofCallinectes andCarcinus (original) (raw)

Summary

    1. Spectral and polarizational sensitivities of dark adapted retinular cells in the ventral regions of the compound eye of the crabs_Callinectes_ and_Carcinus_ have been measured with intracellular recording of responses to flashes of monochromatic light. The majority was maximally sensitive to green light (508 nm,_n_=108) and showed a mean sensitivity in the blue violet that was higher than expected from a rhodopsin like pigment (Fig. 1).
    1. A small number of cells (n = 6) showed a maximum sensitivity to blue light (440 nm) and had a sensitivity function which was considerably wider than a nomogram pigment (Fig. 2). These cells were recorded in the ventral regions of the eye and ERG measurements under selective adaptation revealed statistically significant changes in the relative sensitivities to blue and red stimuli (Figs. 4 and 5).
    1. PS values ranged from 1 to 13 when measured in green cells with 508 nm stimuli (n = 69) with the modal value being 3. When PS was tested at 410 nm, 508 nm, and 605 nm in the same cell there was a statistically significant (0.07 log,P < 0.01) elevation of PS in the orange region of the spectrum.
    1. The results are discussed in relation to the possibility of color vision in marine crustaceans.

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Abbreviations

PS :

polarizational sensitivity

SS :

spectral sensitivity

SW :

sea water

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  1. Francis G. Martin
    Present address: Department of Physiology, Temple University School of Medicine, 19140, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Temple University, 19122, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
    Francis G. Martin & Michael I. Mote

Authors

  1. Francis G. Martin
  2. Michael I. Mote

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Martin, F.G., Mote, M.I. Color receptors in marine crustaceans: A second spectral class of retinular cell in the compound eyes of_Callinectes_ and_Carcinus_.J. Comp. Physiol. 145, 549–554 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612820

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