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Single receptor system in the compound eye of crabs (Scylla serrata)

Yang Xiongli, Zheng Weiyun, Chai Mingjun, Fan Tienxing

Shanghai Institute of Plysiology, Academia Sinica. Shanghai, China；Department of Oceanography, Amoy University. Fujian, China

Abstract

Scotopic spectral sensitivity curves of the ERG of crabs (Scylla serrata) peaked around 500 nm, and showed a fairly good agreement with the absorption curve of a rhodopsin with #lambda#_(max)=510nm. Both waveform and response amplitude versus intensity relationship of the ERG were independent of the wavelength of stimuli, and hence followed the Univariance Principle. Under conditions of selective chromatic adaptation, relative sensitivity was elevated in the long-wavelength regiom of the spectrum (≧540 nm.). The elevated sensitivity remained even when, the eye was exposed to bright red backgrounds. This fact indicated that the phenomenon was not contributed by another long-wavelength sensitive receptor system. After correcting the effect of selective absorption of screening pigment, relative sensitivity was found to be close to the scotopic one in the long-wavelength region. This suggested that the elevated sensitivity in the long-wavelength region might result from migration of screening pigment during light adaptation. It is therefore concluded that the eye of crabs has only a single type of receptor system.

Key words: Spectral sensitivity;Screening pigment;Chromatic adaptation;Compound eye of crustacean

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Citing This Article：

Yang Xiongli, Zheng Weiyun, Chai Mingjun, Fan Tienxing. Single receptor system in the compound eye of crabs (Scylla serrata). Acta Physiol Sin 1985; 37 (1): (in Chinese with English abstract).