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Journal of Experimental Biology 98,83-104 (1982)
Published by Company of Biologists 1982

Light Organ and Eyestalk Compensation to Body Tilt in the Luminescent Midwater Shrimp, Sergestes Similis

MICHAEL I. LATZ ¹ and JAMES F. CASE ¹

¹ Department of Biological Sciences and Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, U.S.A

The posterior light organ and eyestalk of the midwater shrimp, Sergestes similis Hansen, are capable of 140° of angular movement within the body during pitch body tilt, maintaining the organs at near horizontal orientations. Counter-rotations compensate for 74-80% of body inclination.

These responses are statocyst mediated. Unilateral statolith ablation reduces compensation by 50%. There is no evidence for either homolateral or contralateral control by the single functioning statocyst. Bilateral lith ablation abolishes counter-rotation. Light organ and eyestalk orientations are unaffected by the direction of imposed body tilt.

Bioluminescence is emitted downward from horizontal animals with an angular distribution similar to the distribution of oceanic light. The amount of downward directed luminescence in tilted animals decreases at large angles of body inclination due to less than total compensation by the light organs.

Eye turning towards a light source is induced by upward-directed illumination. The resulting change in eyestalk orientations never amounts to more than 25°. The turning is abolished by bilateral statolith ablation. Downward directed illumination, comparable in intensity to oceanic light, generally does not generate significant eye turning.

Light organ orientations remain unaffected by directional illumination, both before and after bilateral statolith ablation.

The compensatory counter-rotations by the posterior light organ and eyestalk suggest that counter-illumination by S. similis remains effective in inclined animals.

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