The Visual Pigments of Some Deep-Sea Elasmobranchs

• Published in: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
• Main Authors: Denton, E. J., Shaw, T. I.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1963
• Subjects: Aquatic Science; Hake; Atlantic salmon; Salmo salar
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315400005245; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0025315400005245

The retinae of three species of deep-sea shark, Centrophorus squamosus, Centroscymnus coelolepis and Deania calcea, have been studied. All had goldencoloured photosensitive pigments, similar to those of deep-sea teleosts. The absorption maxima for the unbleached pigments lay between 472 and 484 m/n. The retina of the hake (Merluccius merluccius) was studied for comparison; its retinal pigment absorbed maximally at 495-5 mix. Some observations on the retinae of the moray eel (Muraena helena) and the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are also described.