Spectral sensitivity of the African cichlid fish,Haplochromis burtoni

Abstract

Spectral sensitivity of the cichlid fish Haplochromis burtoni was measured under both scotopic and photopic conditions using a two-choice, food reward, operant conditioning paradigm. The highest absolute sensitivity (scotopic) is one quantum for every 5 to 50 rods measured at 475 nm (equivalent to a corneal irradiance of 3.8 x 10(6) Q s-1 cm-2). A P500(1) photopigment apparently mediates spectral sensitivity over most of the visible spectrum; microspectrophotometric studies of rods had previously shown them to contain this photopigment. However, the scotopic behavioral action spectrum shows a sensitivity to short wavelength light higher than is consistent with a P500(1) photopigment alone mediating the scotopic visual process. Determinations made under photopic conditions reveal a behavioral action spectrum broader than that found under scotopic conditions and consistent with mediation by interaction of the three known cone types in an opponent processing manner. The calculated photopic threshold value of approximately 10(4) Q s-1 (receptor)-1 is in agreement with results from other species and corresponds to a corneal irradiance of about 7 x 10(10) Q s-1 cm-2.

Diel cycles inHoplosternum littorale (Teleostei): entrainment of feeding activity by low intensity colored light

“…For example, a peak absorption around 625 nm has been found in Carassius auratus (Cronley-Dillon & Muntz 1965, Yager 1967, Beauchamp & Rowe 1977, Scardinius erythrophthalmus (Muntz & Northmore 1970), Perca fluviatilis (Cameron 1982), Hemichromis bimaculatus (Bell 1982), Oncorhynchus mykiss (Douglas 1983) and Haplochromis burtoni (Allen & Fernald 1985). Thus, one might argue that another color should be used as a source of low intensity light.…”

Growth of the teleost eye: novel solutions to complex constraints

“…We have used an operant conditioning paradigm to measure the scotopic visual threshold in H. burtoni (Allen & Fernald 1981). The behaviorally measured scotopic visual threshold is constant over a wide range of fish sizes, and thus appears to remain nearly unchanged as the fish grows.…”

Electrophysiological assessment of spectral sensitivity in adult Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus: evidence for violet sensitivity

“…Spectral sensitivity curves in cichlids, recorded using electroretinograms (ERGs), are modelled more adequately with four visual pigments as opposed to three (Garner et al, 2003). Unfortunately there have been few attempts to assess spectral sensitivity using electrophysiological or psychophysical techniques in cichlids (Bell, 1982;Allen and Fernald, 1985;Garner et al, 2003) and so our current predictions about the wavelength discrimination capabilities of cichlids are largely limited to MSP measurements of visual pigments in situ or in a reconstituted form (van der Meer and Bowmaker, 1995;Carleton et al, 2000;Parry et al, 2005;Jordan et al, 2006;Spady et al, 2006;Carleton et al, 2008). MSP is a powerful technique but, as indicated above, it is possible to overlook cells containing a particular visual pigment because of an inadequate number of sample scans, or because of the regionalization of a class of pigments within the retina, they may not be present in the area of retina examined (Bowmaker et al, 1991;Shand, 1993).…”