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Table 1 Summary of spectral and morphological characteristics of retinal photoreceptors in juvenile and adult Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri).

From: Visual ecology of the Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri)

 

Rods

Cones

  

UVS

SWS

MWS

LWS

Visual pigments

     

Mean λmax of prebleach spectra (nm)

539.8 ± 1.1

366.3 ± 2.2

479.2 ± 2.9

558.2 ± 4.8

623.2 ± 3.3

λmax of mean prebleach spectrum (nm)

539.7

366.5

478.8

558.5

623.6

Mean λmax of difference spectra (nm)

542.9 ± 1.4

367.6 ± 2.1

480.5 ± 4.0

558.8 ± 4.4

623.4 ± 2.3

λmax of mean difference spectrum (nm)

542.8

367.6

479.1

557.7

623.3

Mean transverse (decadic) absorbance at λmax of difference spectrum

0.137 ± 0.029

0.023 ± 0.004

0.023 ± 0.007

0.037 ± 0.010

0.037 ± 0.010

Mean outer segment length (μm)

31.7 ± 4.7

5.2 ± 1.6

8.0 ± 3.3

8.3 ± 1.5

8.3 ± 1.9

Mean outer segment tip diameter (μm)

-

1.8 ± 0.3

2.7 ± 0.9

2.5 ± 0.7

2.8 ± 1.0

Mean outer segment base diameter (μm)

11.1 ± 1.9

3.4 ± 0.7

4.7 ± 1.0

4.1 ± 1.4

5.3 ± 1.8

Number of cells used in analysis (measured)

32 (34)

3 (5)

9 (18)

11 (19)

15 (22)

Spectral filters

 

C

C

E/P

R

Oil droplet diameter (μm)

-

2.8 ± 0.8

4.1 ± 1.9

-

a12.6 ± 3.4

j9.1 ± 1.6

Ellipsoid diameter (μm)

-

-

-

a5.9 ± 0.7

j6.0 ± 1.4

-

Ellipsoid length (μm)

-

-

-

a7.5 ± 1.7

j8.8 ± 2.2

-

Paraboloid diameter (μm)

-

-

-

a8.7 ± 1.0

-

Paraboloid length (μm)

-

-

-

a9.2 ± 1.3

-

Mean λcut of absorptance spectra (nm)

-

-

-

Ea534.3 ± 3.6

Ej503.2 ± 8.8

Pa505.3 ± 4.8

a590.8 ± 5.0

j560.1 ± 8.7

λcut of mean absorptance spectrum (nm)

-

-

-

Ea534.1

Ej500.5

Pa507.3

a590.2

j558.8

Mean λmid of absorptance spectra (nm)

-

-

-

Ea555.6 ± 3.1

Ej537.7 ± 17.7

Pa535.4 ± 3.5

a622.8 ± 7.3

j581.4 ± 9.9

λmid of mean absorptance spectrum (nm)

-

-

-

Ea555.7

Ej534.8

Pa536.3

a 622.9

j582.6

Mean maximum transverse absorptance

-

< 0.08

< 0.08

Ea097 ± 0.03

Ej0.33 ± 0.05

Pa0.32 ± 0.22

a0.96 ± 0.05

j0.94 ± 0.09

Number of cells used in analysis

-

5

17

Ea10; Ej8; Pa9

a10; j16

  1. Values are ± 1 standard deviation. λmax, wavelength of maximum absorbance. The cut-off wavelength (λcut) and wavelength of half maximum measured absorptance (λmid) are supplied for comparison with other microspectrophotometric studies involving densely pigmented spectral filters. The λcut is the wavelength of the intercept at the value of maximum measured absorptance by the line tangent to the absorptance curve at the λmid, as defined by Lipetz [64]. Rods do not contain spectral filters and dimensions are only given for sub-cellular regions that contain spectral filters. C refers to the colourless oil droplets found in the ultraviolet- (UVS, juveniles only) and short-wavelength-sensitive (SWS) single cones. E and P refer to the diffuse yellow pigment located in the ellipsoid and paraboloid (adults only) regions, respectively, of the medium-wavelength-sensitive (MWS) single cones. R refers to the red oil droplets in the LWS single cones. Superscripts a and j refer to spectra measured in adult and juvenile lungfish, respectively.