Differentiation of visual spectra and nuptial colorations of two Paratanakia himantegus subspecies (Cyprinoidea: Acheilognathidae) in response to the distinct photic conditions of their habitats

Abstract

Background: Vision, an important sensory modality of many animals, exhibits plasticity in that it adapts to environmental conditions to maintain its sensory efficiency. Nuptial coloration is used to attract mates and hence should be tightly coupled to vision. In Taiwan, two closely related bitterlings (Paratanakia himantegus himantegus and Paratanakia himantegus chii) with different male nuptial colorations reside in different habitats. We compared the visual spectral sensitivities of these subspecies with the ambient light spectra of their habitats to determine whether their visual abilities correspond with photic parameters and correlate with nuptial colorations. Results: The electroretinogram (ERG) results revealed that the relative spectral sensitivity of P. h. himantegus was higher at 670 nm, but lower at 370 nm, than the sensitivity of P. h. chii. Both bitterlings could perceive and reflect UV light, but the UV reflection patterns differed between genders. Furthermore, the relative irradiance intensity of the light spectra in the habitat of P. h. himantegus was higher at long wavelengths (480-700 nm), but lower at short wavelengths (350-450 nm), than the light spectra in the habitats of P. h. chii.

Differential Survival between Visual Environments Supports a Role of Divergent Sensory Drive in Cichlid Fish Speciation

“…As sensory perception is critical to both survival and reproduction, sensory systems must adapt to a multitude of sensory challenges associated with navigation, detecting food, avoiding enemies, and evaluating potential mates-generating a large diversity in sensory abilities across the animal kingdom. The most convincing evidence for divergent sensory drive comes from studies in fish, probably because aquatic environments provide pronounced heterogeneity in visual conditions (e.g., Boughman 2001;Fuller et al 2005;Seehausen et al 2008;Kekalainen et al 2010;Morrongiello et al 2010;Chang et al 2015).…”

The complete mitogenome of Paratanakia chii (Cypriniformes; Cyprinidae)

“…The majority of studies on this species are focused on the differentiation of visual spectra and nuptial colorations in response to the varied photic circumstances of their habitats, but little information on mitochondrial sequences is available (Chang et al. 2015 ). We sequenced the whole mitogenome of P. chii in this work to provide information for the identification of improved markers that can be applied in the classification of this family as well as a helpful reference for the conservation of the species ( Figure 1 ).…”

South American Weakly Electric Fish (Gymnotiformes) Are Long-Wavelength-Sensitive Cone Monochromats

“…The second scan was executed in the same region to confirm that the visual pigment was bleached. All data were analyzed by a statistical program to obtain the λ max of the photoreceptor [Loew, 1994], which is an approach that was successfully used in our previous work [Wang et al, 2008[Wang et al, , 2009[Wang et al, , 2011Chang et al, 2009Chang et al, , 2015Shao et al, 2014]. Briefly, the absorbance curve was first normalized and then transformed from wavelength to frequency [MacNichol, 1986].…”