Tapeta lucida in bony fishes (Actinopterygii): a survey

Abstract

Bony fishes belonging to 75 families were examined for ocular tapeta lucida. The results are collated with published records, and tapeta are shown to occur in 28 families of teleostomes (Holostei and Teleostei) listed in Table 2. Except in the bigeyes Priacanthidae, they are diffuse reflectors located in the pigment epithelium. Based on chemical composition, several types can be distinguished, lipid, guanine (purine), and some others, colored yellow or light tan, of unknown composition. In several tapeta minutely examined, the reflecting material occurs as platelets (guanine type) or as minute tapetal spheres (lipid and others). The tapetum of the bigeye lies in the chorioid, it is a specular reflector containing guanine; as such it is the solitary known exemplar among teleosts.

Fine structure and development of the retina of the grenadier anchovy Coilia nasus (Engraulididae, Clupeiformes)

“…After the definitions of Nicol et al (1973), Zyznar and Nicol (1973), and Zyznar (1975), the C. nasus tapetum can be seen as a "rough" tapetum with guanine mirrors extending between the photoreceptor outer segments, as is also found, e.g., in Stizostedion sp. (Parker, 1932) and Scopelarchus gü ntheri (Locket, 1971).…”

Mineralized rods and cones suggest colour vision in a 300 Myr-old fossil fish

“…However, the retinal pigment epithelium has many functions, such as light absorption, epithelial transport (glucose, vitamin A, Cl À , H 2 O, K þ ), 11-cis retinal visual cycle, phagocytosis and secretion (pigment epithelium-derived factor and vascular endothelial growth factor) 29 . The melanin pigment in the retinae of extant vertebrates performs movements that are highly coordinated with the retinomotor movements [30][31][32] . The existence of rods, cones and melanin pigments in the eye of A. bridgei suggests that retinomotor activity (two modes of vision: daylight vision by cones and crepuscular vision by much more sensitive rods) probably already existed 300 Myr ago.…”

Studies on the Eyes of Fishes: Structure and Ultrastructure

“…The role of oil droplets as short wavelength cut-off filters in turtle retinae has been demonstrated by Baylor and Hodgkin (1973). Oil droplets are reported in a few fishes: colourless ones in sturgeon, coloured ones in cyprinodonts, and coloured ones, red and yellow, in the South American lungfish (Berger, 1966;Bowein 585 and Hollenberg, 1973;Best, 1973 andAli andAnctil, 1973). The peculiar micelles in processes of the pigment epithelial cells of wrasses contain a red pigment that cuts off short wavelengths « 600 nm), and they seem to serve as a colour filter for long single cones, and as a screen for the rods when elongated (Engstr8m, 1963a;Fineran and Nicol, 1974).…”

“…rock cod Ruboralge and toad fish Opsanus. The pigment, yellow and fluorescent, is intermingled with the stratum argentea; although lying behind the pigment epithelium, it suffices to cause eye shine (Nicol, Arnott and Best, 1973).…”