Sensory adaptation. Tunable colour vision in a mantis shrimp.
Systems of colour vision are normally identical in all members of a species, but a single design may not be adequate for species living in a diverse range of light environments. Here we show that in the mantis shrimp Haptosquilla trispinosa, which occupies a range of depths in the ocean, long-wavelength colour receptors are individually tuned to the local light environment. The spectral sensitivity of specific classes of photoreceptor is adjusted by filters that vary between individuals.
Cronin
T W
TW
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, USA. cronin@umbc.edu
Caldwell
R L
RL
Marshall
J
J
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D003118:Color Perception; D033364:Decapoda / Q000502:physiology*; D008027:Light