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Science 3 August 1984:
Vol. 225. no. 4661, pp. 512 - 514
DOI: 10.1126/science.225.4661.512
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Articles

Far Red Bioluminescence from Two Deep-Sea Fishes

EDITH A. WIDDER 1, MICHAEL I. LATZ 1, PETER J. HERRING 2, and JAMES F. CASE 3

1 Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, and Marine Science Institute, Santa Barbara 93106
2 Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, Brook Road, Wormley, Godalming, Surrey GU8 5UB, United Kingdom
3 Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, and Marine Science Institute

Spectral measurements of red bioluminescence were obtained from the deep-sea stomiatoid fishes Aristostomias scintillans (Gilbert) and Malacosteus niger (Ayres). Red luminescence from suborbital light organs extends to the near infrared, with peak emission at approximately 705 nanometers in the far red. These fishes also have postorbital light organs that emit blue luminescence with maxima between 470 and 480 nanometers. The red bioluminescence may be due to an energy transfer system and wavelength-selective filtering.

Submitted on January 20, 1984
Accepted on April 24, 1984


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The molecular basis for spectral tuning of rod visual pigments in deep-sea fish.
D. M. Hunt, K. S. Dulai, J. C. Partridge, P. Cottrill, and J. K. Bowmaker (2001)
J. Exp. Biol. 204, 3333-3344
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