A rod-dominated visual system in leptocephalus larvae of elopomorph fishes (Elopomorpha: Teleostei) |
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Authors: | Scott Michael Taylor Ellis R Loew Michael S Grace |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 W University Blvd, Melbourne, FL 32901, USA;(2) School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Matthew’s University, P.O. Box 30992, Grand Cayman, KY1-1204, Cayman Islands;(3) Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, T7-020 VRT, Ithaca, NY 14853–6401, USA; |
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Abstract: | The nature and distributions of photoreceptor cell types were investigated in the retinas of 12 species (5 families) of elopomorph
anguilliform leptocephalus larvae. Anti-opsin immunofluorescence, light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
were used to assess opsin distribution across the retinas and to associate photoreceptor morphology and opsin content. Retinas
of all species were immunoreactive with anti-rhodopsin throughout, while anti-cone opsin immunoreactivity was restricted only
to the ventral region of the retina in all specimens. Rod and cone photoreceptors were morphologically indistinguishable at
low magnifications; TEM revealed that nearly all photoreceptors had rod-like ultrastructure, with only rare examples of cone-like
cells identified in the ventral retina. These results indicate a rhodopsin/rod-dominated retina in leptocephalus larvae of
anguilliform eels in the teleost subdivision Elopomorpha, contrasting with the cone-dominated retinas of nearly all other
species of teleost larvae. This distinctive developmental pattern shared among elopomorph larvae has important evolutionary
and ecological implications, indicating a shared ancestor and/or ecological characteristics that are very different from most
other teleost larvae. |
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