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Regionalization in the eye of the grapsid crab Neohelice granulata (=Chasmagnathus granulatus): variation of resolution and facet diameters

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Abstract

Crabs have panoramic compound eyes, which can show marked regional specializations of visual acuity. These specializations are thought to be related to the particular features of the animal’s ecological environment. Modern knowledge on the neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of the crabs’ visual system mainly derives from studies performed in the grapsid crab Neohelice granulata (=Chasmagnathus granulatus). However, the organization of the visual sampling elements across the eye surface of this animal had not yet been addressed. We analyzed the sampling resolution across the eye of Neohelice by measuring the pseudopupil displacement with a goniometer. In addition, we measured the facet sizes in the different regions of the eye. We found that Neohelice possesses an acute band of high vertical resolution around the eye equator and an increase in horizontal sampling resolution and lenses diameter towards the lateral side of the eye. Therefore, the analysis of the optical apparatus indicates that this crab possesses greater visual acuity around the equator and at the lateral side of the eye. These specializations are compared with those found in different species of crabs and are discussed in connection to the particular ecological features of Neohelice’s habitat.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Angel Vidal for his invaluable help in the construction of the goniometer. We are also grateful to Damián Oliva for inspiring discussions about this work and to Julieta Sztarker for English editing the manuscript. This study was supported by the following research grants to Berón de Astrada M.: Universidad de Buenos Aires 20020090300129, PIP 11220080102457; and to Tomsic D.: Universidad de Buenos Aires X221, ANPCYT PICT 1189. Experimental procedures are in compliance with the Principles of Animal Care of Laboratory Animals published by the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Neurobiología de la Memoria. Depto. Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires. IFIBYNE-CONICET, Buenos Aires, 1428, Argentina

    Martín Berón de Astrada, Mercedes Bengochea, Violeta Medan & Daniel Tomsic

  2. Depto. FBMC, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pabellón 2, Ciudad Universitaria, Buenos Aires, 1428, Argentina

    Martín Berón de Astrada

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  1. Martín Berón de Astrada
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  2. Mercedes Bengochea
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  3. Violeta Medan
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  4. Daniel Tomsic
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Correspondence to Martín Berón de Astrada.

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Berón de Astrada, M., Bengochea, M., Medan, V. et al. Regionalization in the eye of the grapsid crab Neohelice granulata (=Chasmagnathus granulatus): variation of resolution and facet diameters. J Comp Physiol A 198, 173–180 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-011-0697-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-011-0697-7

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