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First published online June 7, 2004
Journal of Experimental Biology 207, 2379-2387 (2004)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2004
doi: 10.1242/jeb.01033

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Pineal organs of deep-sea fish: photopigments and structure

James K. Bowmaker^1,* and Hans-Joachim Wagner²

¹ Division of Visual Science, Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, London EC1V 9EL, UK
² Graduate School of Neural and Behavioural Sciences, Max Planck Research School, Anatomisches Institut, Universität Tübingen, D-72074 Tübingen, Germany

View larger version (152K): [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Pineal morphology and microanatomy of Sternoptyx diaphana (a–c), Argyropelecus affinis (d–f), Gonostoma elongatum (g) and Chauliodus sloani (h); light micrographs, except c and f (electron micrographs). Abbreviations: bv, blood vessel; Cb, cerebellum; cc, cranial cartilage; ep, pineal neuroepithelium; is, photoreceptor inner segment; l, lumen of pineal vesicle; on, optic nerve; os, outer segment; OT, optic tectum; Pi, pineal gland; st, stalk.

View larger version (24K): [in a new window]   Fig. 2. (A) Mean absorbance and difference spectra from pinealocytes of Argyropelecus affinis. Upper traces: open squares, before bleach; filled squares, after complete bleach; solid line, 495 nm template. Lower trace: open squares, difference spectrum; solid line, 498 nm template. (B) Mean absorbance and difference spectra from pinealocytes of Gonostoma elongatum. Upper traces: open squares, before bleach; filled squares, after complete bleach; solid line, 499 nm template. Lower trace: open squares, difference spectrum; solid line, 502 nm template. The visual pigment templates are `Govardovskii' spectra (Govardovskii et al., 2000).

View larger version (16K): [in a new window]   Fig. 3. Distribution histograms of the max of individual difference spectra of pinealocytes from all species, as labelled. For the mean max of each distribution, see Table 1. Note the indication of a bimodal distribution for A. affinis. Bin size is 2 nm.

View larger version (22K): [in a new window]   Fig. 4. Normalized difference spectra from pinealocytes of Argyropelecus affinis. The cells were arbitrarily divided into two classes with max greater or less than 490 nm (see Table 1). Solid lines are pigment templates with max at 486 nm and 498 nm(Govardovskii et al., 2000).