Spectral Receptors of Nymphalid Butterflies

Kinoshita, Michiyo; Sato, Miho; Arikawa, Kentaro

doi:10.1007/s001140050377

Cited by 35 publications

(40 citation statements)

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“…The other photoreceptors of the ommatidia all express the same G visual pigment. They have the same G spectral sensitivity (Kinoshita et al, 1997), probably because spectral filter pigments are virtually absent. In these somewhat uncomplicated cases, the three spectral types of photoreceptors (UV-B-G) will provide the basis of trichromatic vision.…”

Section: Molecular Design Of Butterfly Eyesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Dimorphism of Short-Wavelength Photoreceptors in the Small White Butterfly,Pieris rapae crucivora

Arikawa¹,

Wakakuwa²,

Qiu³

et al. 2005

J. Neurosci.

118

141

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The eyes of the female small white butterfly, Pieris rapae crucivora, are furnished with three classes of short-wavelength photoreceptors, with sensitivity peaks in the ultraviolet (UV) ( max ϭ 360 nm), violet (V) ( max ϭ 425 nm), and blue (B) ( max ϭ 453 nm) wavelength range. Analyzing the spectral origin of the photoreceptors, we isolated three novel mRNAs encoding opsins corresponding to shortwavelength-absorbing visual pigments. We localized the opsin mRNAs in the retinal tissue and found that each of the short-wavelengthsensitive photoreceptor classes exclusively expresses one of the opsin mRNAs. We, accordingly, termed the visual pigments PrUV, PrV, and PrB, respectively. The eyes of the male small white butterfly also use three classes of short-wavelength photoreceptors that equally uniquely express PrUV, PrV, and PrB. However, whereas the spectral sensitivities of the male photoreceptors with PrUV and PrB closely correspond to those of the female, the male photoreceptor expressing PrV has a double-peaked blue (dB) spectral sensitivity, strongly deviating from the spectral sensitivity of the female V photoreceptor. The male eyes contain a pigment that distinctly fluoresces under blue-violet as well as UV excitation light. It coexists with the dB photoreceptors and presumably acts as a spectral filter with an absorbance spectrum peaking at 416 nm. The narrow-band spectral sensitivity of the male dB photoreceptors probably evolved to improve the discrimination of the different wing colors of male and female P. rapae crucivora in the short-wavelength region of the spectrum.

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Section: Molecular Design Of Butterfly Eyesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual Dimorphism of Short-Wavelength Photoreceptors in the Small White Butterfly,Pieris rapae crucivora

Arikawa¹,

Wakakuwa²,

Qiu³

et al. 2005

J. Neurosci.

118

141

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“…Honeybee ommatidia in the ventral region of the compound eye are twisted; this probably eliminates undesirable polarization signals (Menzel 1975). Pieris ommatidia are not twisted, which is also the case in other butterflies (Arikawa and Uchiyama 1996;Kinoshita et al 1997). Having curved microvilli is probably a butterfly strategy to counteract undesirable polarization sensitivity.…”

Section: Rhabdom Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Ommatidial heterogeneity in the compound eye of the male small white butterfly, Pieris rapae crucivora

Qiu

Vanhoutte

Stavenga

et al. 2002

Cell and Tissue Research

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103

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Ommatidial heterogeneity in the compound eye of the male small white butterfly, Pieris rapae crucivora Qiu, XD; Vanhoutte, KAJ; Stavenga, Doekele; Arikawa, K; Qiu, Xudong Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Download date: 11-05-2018Abstract The ommatidia in the ventral two-thirds of the compound eye of male Pieris rapae crucivora are not uniform. Each ommatidium contains nine photoreceptor cells. Four cells (R1-4) form the distal two-thirds of the rhabdom, four cells (R5-8) approximately occupy the proximal one-third of the rhabdom, and the ninth cell (R9) takes up a minor basal part of the rhabdom. The R5-8 photoreceptor cells contain clusters of reddish pigment adjacent to the rhabdom. From the position of the pigment clusters, three types of ommatidia can be identified: the trapezoidal (type I), square (type II), and rectangular type (type III). Microspectrophotometry with an epi-illumination microscope has revealed that the reflectance spectra of type I and type III ommatidia peak at 635 nm and those of type II ommatidia peak at 675 nm. The bandwith of the reflectance spectra is 40-50 nm. Type II ommatidia strongly fluoresce under ultra-violet and violet epi-illumination. The three types of ommatidia are randomly distributed. The ommatidial heterogeneity is presumably crucial for color discrimination.

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“…Lycaenids in particular comprise the second largest of the butterfly families, with more than 4000 species named worldwide, many of which are found in South America (Johnson and Coates, 1999). With a mounting abundance of physiological (Eguchi et al, 1982;Kinoshita et al, 1997), molecular (see below) and behavioral data (Zaccardi et al, 2006) pointing to phenotypically variable butterfly visual systems, it seems increasingly important to consider the Although previous investigations have shown that wing coloration is an important component of social signaling in butterflies, the contribution of opsin evolution to sexual wing color dichromatism and interspecific divergence remains largely unexplored. Here we report that the butterfly Lycaena rubidus has evolved sexually dimorphic eyes due to changes in the regulation of opsin expression patterns to match the contrasting life histories of males and females.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beauty in the eye of the beholder: the two blue opsins of lycaenid butterflies and the opsin gene-driven evolution of sexually dimorphic eyes

Sison-Mangus

Bernard

Lampel

et al. 2006

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY Although previous investigations have shown that wing coloration is an important component of social signaling in butterflies, the contribution of opsin evolution to sexual wing color dichromatism and interspecific divergence remains largely unexplored. Here we report that the butterfly Lycaena rubidus has evolved sexually dimorphic eyes due to changes in the regulation of opsin expression patterns to match the contrasting life histories of males and females. The L. rubidus eye contains four visual pigments with peak sensitivities in the ultraviolet (UV;λ max=360 nm), blue (B; λmax=437 nm and 500 nm, respectively) and long (LW; λmax=568 nm) wavelength range. By combining in situ hybridization of cloned opsinencoding cDNAs with epi-microspectrophotometry, we found that all four opsin mRNAs and visual pigments are expressed in the eyes in a sex-specific manner. The male dorsal eye, which contains only UV and B (λmax=437 nm)visual pigments, indeed expresses two short wavelength opsin mRNAs, UVRh and BRh1. The female dorsal eye, which also has the UV and B (λmax=437 nm) visual pigments, also contains the LW visual pigment, and likewise expresses UVRh, BRh1 and LWRh mRNAs. Unexpectedly, in the female dorsal eye, we also found BRh1 co-expressed with LWRh in the R3-8 photoreceptor cells. The ventral eye of both sexes, on the other hand, contains all four visual pigments and expresses all four opsin mRNAs in a non-overlapping fashion. Surprisingly, we found that the 500 nm visual pigment is encoded by a duplicate blue opsin gene, BRh2. Further, using molecular phylogenetic methods we trace this novel blue opsin gene to a duplication event at the base of the Polyommatine+Thecline+Lycaenine radiation. The blue opsin gene duplication may help explain the blueness of blue lycaenid butterflies.

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Spectral Receptors of Nymphalid Butterflies

Cited by 35 publications

References 0 publications

Sexual Dimorphism of Short-Wavelength Photoreceptors in the Small White Butterfly,Pieris rapae crucivora

Sexual Dimorphism of Short-Wavelength Photoreceptors in the Small White Butterfly,Pieris rapae crucivora

Ommatidial heterogeneity in the compound eye of the male small white butterfly, Pieris rapae crucivora

Beauty in the eye of the beholder: the two blue opsins of lycaenid butterflies and the opsin gene-driven evolution of sexually dimorphic eyes

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