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The comparative morphology of hepatic photophores in decapod Crustacea
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 May 2009
Extract
The hepatic photophores of species of Sergestes (organs of Pesta) contain fluorescent paracrystalline platelets which are the sources of the luminescence. The cells containing these crystals are contiguous with cells filled with lipid droplets which act as a diffuse reflector. The optical properties of the organ as a whole derive from the different arrangement of the various regions in the mosaic of individual tubules. The hepatic photophores of Parapandalus, Thalassocaris and Chlorotocoides have a similar anatomical position but differ considerably in structure. They do not contain paracrystalline material and they have a diffuse reflector, probably not composed of lipid, which is separated from the tubules that make up the photocytes. The organs in Thalassocaris and Chlorotocoides are very similar in structure. Luminescence in the photophores of all four genera is probably intracellular.
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 61 , Issue 3 , August 1981 , pp. 723 - 737
- Copyright
- Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1981
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