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Journal of Experimental Biology 162,209-229 (1992)
Published by Company of Biologists 1992

Behavioral Responses to Chemical Stimulation of the Olfactory Organ in the Squid Loligo Opalescens

WM F. GILLY ¹ and MARY T. LUCERO ¹

¹ Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA

Behavioral experiments were carried out on restrained, but otherwise fully active, squid to test the chemoreceptive capabilities of the olfactory organ. Specific chemical substances stimulated high-pressure jet escape responses when ejected from a small pipette into the area immediately around the olfactory organ. These included squid ink and L-Dopa (3,4 dihydroxyphenylalanine) as well as agents that block voltage-dependent potassium channels, such as quaternary ammonium ions and 4-aminopyridine. Experiments designed to map chemosensitivity spatially identified the olfactory organ as the receptive site. Unilateral application of a topical local anesthetic to an olfactory organ selectively and reversibly abolished responsiveness on the treated side only. The olfactory organ can thus mediate detection of water-borne chemicals. This detection, in turn, is linked to motor control pathways involved in initiating escape-jetting behavior.

Key words: cephalopod, squid, chemoreception, olfaction, escape response, Loligo opalescens

Accepted on August 19, 1991

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