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Compound eyes of some deep-sea and fiord crustaceans

Elofsson, Rolf LU and Hallberg, Eric LU (1977) In Acta Zoologica 58. p.169-177
Abstract
The compound eyes of the deep-sea mysid Boreomysis scyphops and the two mysid species Amblyops abbreviata and Pseudomma affine, which are indigenous to deep fiords in Norway, have been investigated. The eye stalks are greatly transformed, but contain hypertrophied retinas. The ommatidia of all three species lack a dioptric apparatus, possessing only retinular cells, which are arranged in a cylinder-like fashion. Folds from the retinular cells project into the “cylinder” and are covered with microvilli. The arrangement is explained functionally by an increase in the photopigment-bearing surface as an adaptation to low-light intensities. The orderly arrangement of microvilli in most arthropod compound eyes has been lost, and the arrangement... (More)
The compound eyes of the deep-sea mysid Boreomysis scyphops and the two mysid species Amblyops abbreviata and Pseudomma affine, which are indigenous to deep fiords in Norway, have been investigated. The eye stalks are greatly transformed, but contain hypertrophied retinas. The ommatidia of all three species lack a dioptric apparatus, possessing only retinular cells, which are arranged in a cylinder-like fashion. Folds from the retinular cells project into the “cylinder” and are covered with microvilli. The arrangement is explained functionally by an increase in the photopigment-bearing surface as an adaptation to low-light intensities. The orderly arrangement of microvilli in most arthropod compound eyes has been lost, and the arrangement is thus multidirectional in these mysids. With the photopigment dipoles arranged along the microvillar axis, the disorderly arrangement of microvilli signifies a more efficient capture of non-polarized light. It is concluded that the mysid compound eyes show adaptations to low-light intensities probably acquired during the species' evolutionary descent into deep-sea habitats. Amblyops abbreviata and Pseudomma affine, belonging to genera with entirely transformed eyes and with an ultrastructure less “normal” than that of Boreomysis scyphops are believed to be earlier descendants into the deep-sea habitats than the latter species, which belongs to a genus in which most of the species have well-developed eyes.
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Contribution to journal
publication status
published
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in
Acta Zoologica
volume
58
pages
169 - 177
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:0017739594
DOI
10.1111/j.1463-6395.1977.tb00252.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e8cd76f9-8772-4da6-a068-a2d3c25aa4ad
date added to LUP
2016-11-30 16:28:24
date last changed
2021-01-03 03:41:22
@article{e8cd76f9-8772-4da6-a068-a2d3c25aa4ad,
  abstract     = {{The compound eyes of the deep-sea mysid Boreomysis scyphops and the two mysid species Amblyops abbreviata and Pseudomma affine, which are indigenous to deep fiords in Norway, have been investigated. The eye stalks are greatly transformed, but contain hypertrophied retinas. The ommatidia of all three species lack a dioptric apparatus, possessing only retinular cells, which are arranged in a cylinder-like fashion. Folds from the retinular cells project into the “cylinder” and are covered with microvilli. The arrangement is explained functionally by an increase in the photopigment-bearing surface as an adaptation to low-light intensities. The orderly arrangement of microvilli in most arthropod compound eyes has been lost, and the arrangement is thus multidirectional in these mysids. With the photopigment dipoles arranged along the microvillar axis, the disorderly arrangement of microvilli signifies a more efficient capture of non-polarized light. It is concluded that the mysid compound eyes show adaptations to low-light intensities probably acquired during the species' evolutionary descent into deep-sea habitats. Amblyops abbreviata and Pseudomma affine, belonging to genera with entirely transformed eyes and with an ultrastructure less “normal” than that of Boreomysis scyphops are believed to be earlier descendants into the deep-sea habitats than the latter species, which belongs to a genus in which most of the species have well-developed eyes.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Elofsson, Rolf and Hallberg, Eric}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{169--177}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Acta Zoologica}},
  title        = {{Compound eyes of some deep-sea and fiord crustaceans}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1463-6395.1977.tb00252.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/j.1463-6395.1977.tb00252.x}},
  volume       = {{58}},
  year         = {{1977}},
}