The ontogeny of facultative superposition optics in a shrimp eye: hatching through metamorphosis
A preliminary report on this research has appeared in the form of an abstract (Douglass 1985)Compound eyes of larval and first postlarval grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio Holthuis) were studied with light and electron microscopy following adaptation to darkness or bright light. Larvae have well-developed apposition eyes, including 3 main types of accessory screening and reflecting pigments and a fourth class of putatively reflective granules recently described in adult shrimps. Rhabdoms contain orthogonally layered microvilli, and by the last larval stage, 8 retinular cells. Ocular accessory pigments in both light- and dark-adapted larvae are distributed much like those of light-adapted adults, but the distal mass of reflecting pigment is concentrated dorsally in larvae and ventrally in adults. Since larvae swim upside-down, reflecting pigment is oriented downward in all developmental stages and may function for countershading. Light and dark adaptational migrations of all 3 major accessory pigments commence abruptly at metamorphosis to the first postlarva. Upon dark adaptation in postlarvae, superposition optics remain impossible because (1) distal screening pigment migrates only slightly, (2) no clear zone has developed, and (3) the crystalline cones remain circular in cross section. Nevertheless, a slight improvement in photon catch is expected due to extensive redistributions of reflecting pigment and retinular cell screening pigment granules. © 1989 Springer-Verlag.
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- Neurology & Neurosurgery
- 3208 Medical physiology
- 1116 Medical Physiology
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Neurology & Neurosurgery
- 3208 Medical physiology
- 1116 Medical Physiology