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The spectral sensitivity of the lens eyes of a box jellyfish, Tripedalia cystophora (Conant)

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Author

  • Melissa M. Coates
  • Anders Garm
  • Jamie Theobald
  • Stuart H. Thompson
  • Dan-E Nilsson

Summary, in English

Box jellyfish, or cubomedusae (class Cubozoa), are unique among the Cnidaria in possessing lens eyes similar in morphology to those of vertebrates and cephalopods. Although these eyes were described over 100 years ago, there has been no work done on their electrophysiological responses to light. We used an electroretinogram ( ERG) technique to measure spectral sensitivity of the lens eyes of the Caribbean species Tripedalia cystophora. The cubomedusae have two kinds of lens eyes, the lower and upper lens eyes. We found that both lens eye types have similar spectral sensitivities, which likely result from the presence of a single receptor type containing a single opsin. The peak sensitivity is to blue-green light. Visual pigment template fits indicate a vitamin A-1 based opsin with peak sensitivity near 500 nm for both eye types.

Publishing year

2006

Language

English

Pages

3758-3765

Publication/Series

Journal of Experimental Biology

Volume

209

Issue

19

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

The Company of Biologists Ltd

Topic

  • Zoology

Keywords

  • vision
  • electrophysiology
  • electroretinogram (ERG)
  • photoreceptor
  • spectral sensitivity
  • opsins
  • eye
  • Cubozoa
  • Cnidaria
  • invertebrate

Status

Published

Research group

  • Lund Vision Group

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1477-9145