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Light Production by the Arm Tips of the Deep-Sea Cephalopod Vampyroteuthis infernalis.
- Source :
-
Biological Bulletin . Oct2003, Vol. 205 Issue 2, p102. 8p. 3 Color Photographs, 2 Black and White Photographs, 1 Graph. - Publication Year :
- 2003
-
Abstract
- The archaic, deep-sea cephalopod Vampyroteuthis infernalis occurs in dark, oxygen-poor waters below 600 m off Monterey Bay, California. Living specimens, collected gently with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and quickly transported to a laboratory ashore, have revealed two hitherto undescribed means of bioluminescent expression for the species. In the first, light is produced by a new type of organ located at the tips of all eight arms. In the second, a viscous fluid containing microscopic luminous particles is released from the arm tips to form a glowing cloud around the animal. Both modes of light production are apparently linked to anti-predation strategies. Use of the tip-lights is readily educed by contact stimuli, while fluid expulsion has a much higher triggering threshold. Coelenterazine and luciferase are the chemical precursors of light production. This paper presents observations on the structure and operation of the arm-tip light organs, the character of the luminous cloud, and how the light they produce is incorporated into behavioral patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *MOLLUSKS
*VAMPIRE squid
*VAMPYROTEUTHIS
*BAYS
*BIOLUMINESCENCE
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00063185
- Volume :
- 205
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Biological Bulletin
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 11584022
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.2307/1543231