Authors: Taro Matsumoto Hiroshi Ihara Yoshinari Ishida Shinji Yamamoto Osamu Murata Yasunori Ishibashi
Publish Date: 2008/12/18
Volume: 36, Issue: 1, Pages: 63-70
Abstract
Although chub mackerel Scomber japonicus is widely distributed all over the world the relevance of its visual sensitivity to its ecology is not yet fully understood We investigated spectral sensitivity in juvenile chub mackerel in the range of ultraviolet UV to visible light 369–652 nm by electroretinogram ERG using lightemitting diodes LEDs Sensitivity peaked at a wavelength of approximately 482 nm in darkadapted fish and 525 nm in lightadapted fish A secondary sensitivity peak in the UV range at approximately 382 nm was found in both dark and lightadapted fish The UV sensitivity of chub mackerel may be attributable to UV transmissibility of the optical media and to the presence of a betaband of visible lightsensitive visual pigments and not to an alphaband of UV visual pigments This UV sensitivity may be useful for feeding or communication with other fishesWe thank the staff of the Shirahama Experiment Station of the Fisheries Laboratory of Kinki University for providing the specimens for our study We also thank Dr Hiroshi Kobayashi for his advice on the ERG This research was supported in part by the 21st Century and Global Centers of Excellence Programs of the Ministry of Education Science Sports and Culture of Japan
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