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First published online May 1, 2006
Journal of Experimental Biology 209, 1944-1955 (2006)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2006
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02207

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Color discrimination in the red range with only one long-wavelength sensitive opsin

Guillermo Zaccardi^1,*, Almut Kelber¹, Marilou P. Sison-Mangus² and Adriana D. Briscoe²

¹ Vision Group, Department of Cell and Organism Biology, Lund University, Helgonavägen 3, S-22362 Lund, Sweden
² Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology Group, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: guillermo.zaccardi{at}cob.lu.se)

Accepted 13 March 2006

The basic precondition for color vision is the presence of at least two receptor types with different spectral sensitivities. The sensitivity of a receptor is mostly defined by the opsin-based visual pigment expressed in it. We show here, through behavioral experiments, that the nymphalid butterfly Heliconius erato, although it expresses short and medium wavelength opsins and only one long wavelength opsin, discriminates colors in the long-wavelength range (590 nm, 620 nm and 640 nm), whereas another nymphalid, Vanessa atalanta, despite having color vision, is unable to do so. In the eyes of H. erato we identified filtering pigments very close to the rhabdom which differ between ommatidia and produce the yellow and red ommatidial reflection seen under orthodromic illumination. The eyes of V. atalanta lack the filtering pigments, and reflect a homogeneous orange. We hypothesize that the filtering pigments found in the eyes of H. erato may shift the spectral sensitivity peak of the long wavelength receptors in some ommatidia towards longer wavelengths. The comparison of the signals between the two new receptor types makes color discrimination in the red range possible. To our knowledge, this is the first behavioral proof of color vision based on receptors expressing the same opsin.

Key words: color vision, opsin, filter pigment, insect, butterfly, Heliconius erato

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