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First published online September 19, 2006
Journal of Experimental Biology 209, 3758-3765 (2006)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2006
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02431

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

Melissa M. Coates^1,*, Anders Garm², Jamie C. Theobald², Stuart H. Thompson¹ and Dan-Eric Nilsson²

¹ Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Oceanview Boulevard, Pacific Grove, California, 93950, USA
² Department of Cell and Organism Biology, Lund University, Zoology Building, Helgonavägen 3, S-223 62 Lund, Sweden

^* Author for correspondence at present address: Department of Cell and Organism Biology, Lund University, Zoology Building, Helgonavägen 3, S-223 62 Lund, Sweden (e-mail: Melissa.Coates{at}cob.lu.se)

Accepted 5 July 2006

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.

Key words: vision, eye, electrophysiology, electroretinogram (ERG), photoreceptor, opsins, spectral sensitivity, invertebrate, Cnidaria, Cubozoa

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