Light production by the arm tips of the deep-sea cephalopod Vampyroteuthis infernalis.
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.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Rd., Moss Landing, California 95039, USA. robr@mbari.org
Bruce H
BH
Robison
Kim R
KR
Reisenbichler
James C
JC
Hunt
Steven H D
SH
Haddock
D000818:Animals; D049454:Firefly Luciferin / Q000378:metabolism; D008156:Luciferases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008974:Mollusca / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010140:Pacific Ocean
D049454:Firefly Luciferin; D008156:Luciferases