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Structure and preliminary biochemical characterization of the bioluminescent system of Ommastrephes pteropus (Steenstrup) (Mollusca: Cephalopoda)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

Stephen J. Girsch ,
Peter J. Herring  and
Frank McCapra
Peter J. Herring
Affiliation:
Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, Wormley, Godalming, Surrey, U.K.
Frank McCapra
Affiliation:
School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BNl 9QJ, U.K.
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Extract

INTRODUCTION

The ommastrephid squids are large active animals occurring in most of the world's oceans. Luminous organs or bioluminescence have been observed only in members of the subfamily Sthenoteuthinae, containing the genera Ornithoteuthis, Symplectoteuthis (= Eucleoteuthis), Hyaloteuthis, Ommastrephes and Dosidicus. The light organs of Ommastrephes pteropus are small sub-spherical bodies randomly distributed over the ventral surface of the mantle, head, arms and tentacles (Roper, 1963) and are aggregated dorsally to form a large luminous patch (Clarke, 1965). Relatively little is known about the organs, capabilities and biochemistry of luminescence in cephalopods (Harvey, 1952; Herring, in Press), and the size of the light organ and availability of O. pteropus provide an unusual opportunity for such studies. Although among the molluscs the luminescent systems of the gastropod Latia and the bivalve Pholas have been partially characterized (Shimomura & Johnson, 1968; Henry, Isambert & Michelson, 1970, 1973) the only cephalopod system which has been investigated to date is that of the enoploteuthid Watasenia scintillans (Goto et al., 1974; Inoue et al., 1975). This investigation examines the anatomy and biochemistry of the dorsal light organ of O. pteropus, which differs markedly in these respects from the brachial organs of Watasenia.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 56 , Issue 3 , August 1976 , pp. 707 - 722
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1976

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