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Dragon fish see using chlorophyll

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Abstract

Most deep-sea fish have visual pigments that are most sensitive to wavelengths around 460-490 nm, the intensity maxima of both conventional blue bioluminescence and dim residual sunlight1. The predatory deep-sea dragon fish Malacosteus niger, the closely related Aristostomias sp. and Pachystomias microdon can, in addition to blue bioluminescence, also emit far-red light from suborbital photophores2, which is invisible to other deep-sea animals. Whereas Aristostomias sp. enhances its long-wavelength sensitivity using visual pigments that are unusually red sensitive3, we now report that M. niger attains the same result using a derivative of chlorophyll as a photosensitizer.

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Figure 1: Analysis of Malacosteus niger visual pigments.
Figure 2: Analysis of Malacosteus niger photosensitizing pigment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Optometry and Visual Science, Applied Vision Research Centre, City University, 311-321 Goswell Road, EC1V 7DD, London, UK

    R. H. Douglas

  2. School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, BS8 1UG, Bristol, UK

    J. C. Partridge

  3. Institute of Ophthalmology, University of London, Bath Street, EC1V 9EL, London, UK

    K. Dulai & D. Hunt

  4. Department of Biology, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT, London, UK

    C. W. Mullineaux

  5. Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, PO Box 55, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    A. Y. Tauber & P. H. Hynninen

Authors
  1. R. H. Douglas
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  2. J. C. Partridge
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  3. K. Dulai
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  4. D. Hunt
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  5. C. W. Mullineaux
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  6. A. Y. Tauber
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  7. P. H. Hynninen
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Douglas, R., Partridge, J., Dulai, K. et al. Dragon fish see using chlorophyll. Nature 393, 423–424 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/30871

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