Early development of eye and retina in lanternfish larvae

New descriptions of four larval lanternfish species and cryptic diversity of Benthosema pterotum (Pisces: Myctophidae) from the Northwest Pacific

Although there have been many studies on the taxonomy of lanternfishes, morphological similarities during larval and juvenile stages make it difficult to identify species and understand their early life histories. During an ichthyoplankton survey in the Northwest Pacific (East Sea, East China Sea) between 2017 and 2020, a research vessel from the National Institute of Fisheries Science collected larvae and juveniles that belonged to the family Myctophidae using a bongo net. To accurately identify species, mtDNA sequences encoding cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 16S ribosomal RNA were obtained and compared with those of adult voucher specimens. These comparisons led to the identification of four previously unknown larval lanternfish species (Diaphus chrysorhynchus, Diaphus suborbitalis, Diaphus watasei and Lampanyctus fernae), which are described here for the first time. The authors also describe the cryptic diversity of Benthosema pterotum and provide identification keys for 10 species of larval lanternfish, in accordance with their developmental stages.

Development of dim-light vision in the nocturnal reef fish family Holocentridae. II: Retinal morphology

Ontogenetic changes in the habitats and lifestyles of animals are often reflected in their visual systems. Coral reef fishes start life in the shallow open ocean but inhabit the reef as juveniles and adults. Alongside this change in habitat, some species also change lifestyles and become nocturnal. However, it is not fully understood how the visual systems of nocturnal reef fishes develop and adapt to these significant ecological shifts over their lives. Therefore, we used a histological approach to examine visual development in the nocturnal coral reef fish family, Holocentridae. We examined 7 representative species spanning both subfamilies, Holocentrinae (squirrelfishes) and Myripristinae (soldierfishes). Pre-settlement larvae showed strong adaptation for photopic vision with high cone densities and had also started to develop a multibank retina (i.e. multiple rod layers), with up to two rod banks present. At reef settlement, holocentrids showed greater adaptation for scotopic vision, with higher rod densities and higher summation of rods onto the ganglion cell layer. By adulthood, they had well-developed scotopic vision with a highly rod-dominated multibank retina comprising 5-17 rod banks and enhanced summation of rods onto the ganglion cell layer. Although the ecological demands of the two subfamilies were similar throughout their lives, their visual systems differed after settlement, with Myripristinae showing more pronounced adaptation for scotopic vision than Holocentrinae. Thus, it is likely that both ecology and phylogeny contribute to the development of the holocentrid visual system.

Development of dim-light vision in the nocturnal reef fish family Holocentridae. I: Retinal gene expression

Developmental changes to the visual systems of animals are often associated with ecological shifts. Reef fishes experience a change in habitat between larval life in the shallow open ocean to juvenile and adult life on the reef. Some species also change their lifestyle over this period and become nocturnal. While these ecological transitions are well documented, little is known about the ontogeny of nocturnal reef fish vision. Here, we used transcriptomics to investigate visual development in 12 representative species from both subfamilies, Holocentrinae (squirrelfishes) and Myripristinae (soldierfishes), in the nocturnal coral reef fish family, Holocentridae. Results revealed that the visual systems of holocentrids are initially well adapted to photopic conditions with pre-settlement larvae having high levels of cone opsin gene expression and a broad cone opsin gene repertoire (8 genes). At reef settlement, holocentrids started to invest more in their scotopic visual system, and compared with adults, showed upregulation of genes involved in cell differentiation/proliferation. By adulthood, holocentrids had well developed scotopic vision with high levels of rod opsin gene expression, reduced cone opsin gene expression and repertoire (1-4 genes) and upregulated phototransduction genes. Finally, although the two subfamilies shared similar ecologies across development, their visual systems diverged after settlement, with Myripristinae investing more in scotopic vision than Holocentrinae. Hence, both ecology and phylogeny are likely to determine the development of the holocentrid visual system.

Visual gene expression reveals a cone to rod developmental progression in deep-sea fishes

Vertebrates use cone cells in the retina for colour vision and rod cells to see in dim light. Many deep-sea fishes have adapted to their environment to have only rod cells in the retina, while both rod and cone genes are still preserved in their genomes. As deep-sea fish larvae start their lives in the shallow, and only later submerge to the depth, they have to cope with diverse environmental conditions during ontogeny. Using a comparative transcriptomic approach in 20 deep-sea fish species from eight teleost orders, we report on a developmental cone-to-rod switch. While adults mostly rely on rod opsin (RH1) for vision in dim light, larvae almost exclusively express middle-wavelength-sensitive ("green") cone opsins (RH2) in their retinas. The phototransduction cascade genes follow a similar ontogenetic pattern of cone- followed by rod-specific gene expression in most species, except for the pearleye and sabretooth (Aulopiformes), in which the cone cascade remains dominant throughout development. By inspecting the whole genomes of five deep-sea species (four of them sequenced within this study: Idiacanthus fasciola, Chauliodus sloani; Stomiiformes; Coccorella atlantica, and Scopelarchus michaelsarsi; Aulopiformes), we found that deep-sea fish possess one or two copies of the rod RH1 opsin gene, and up to seven copies of the cone RH2 opsin genes in their genomes, while other cone opsin classes have been mostly lost. Our findings hence provide molecular evidence for a limited opsin gene repertoire and a conserved vertebrate pattern whereby cone photoreceptors develop first and rod photoreceptors are added only at later developmental stages.

The exceptional diversity of visual adaptations in deep-sea teleost fishes

The deep-sea is the largest and one of the dimmest habitats on earth. In this extreme environment, every photon counts and may make the difference between life and death for its inhabitants. Two sources of light are present in the deep-sea; downwelling light, that becomes dimmer and spectrally narrower with increasing depth until completely disappearing at around 1000 m, and bioluminescence, the light emitted by animals themselves. Despite these relatively dark and inhospitable conditions, many teleost fish have made the deep-sea their home, relying heavily on vision to survive. Their visual systems have had to adapt, sometimes in astonishing and bizarre ways. This review examines some aspects of the visual system of deep-sea teleosts and highlights the exceptional diversity in both optical and retinal specialisations. We also reveal how widespread several of these adaptations are across the deep-sea teleost phylogeny. Finally, the significance of some recent findings as well as the surprising diversity in visual adaptations is discussed.

Niche partitioning and morphospace in early stages of two sympatric Diogenichthys species (Myctophidae)

Diet and morphospace of larval stages of two sympatric lanternfish Diogenichthys atlanticus and D. laternatus from the south-east Pacific Ocean were compared and the covariance between both variables was assessed for each species. Diogenichthys atlanticus stomach contents consisted mainly of copepod nauplii and digested remains and this species had a broader niche than D. laternatus, in which stomach contents were highly digested. No dietary overlap was found between both species. The covariance between skull shape and diet for D. atlanticus was given by a wider mouth gape related to the presence of copepod nauplii, whilst for D. laternatus, a shorter snout and posteriorly displaced eye were related to the presence of highly digested stomach contents. Interspecific differences between diets and skull shapes suggest that both species may have undergone morphological or niche divergence to avoid competition, such as feeding at different hours or depth stratification.

Retinal development and opsin gene expression during the juvenile development in red spotted grouper (Epinephelus akaara)

To produce healthy and stable seed production, we need to obtain information and understand vision that affects behavior of red spotted grouper. We examined their expression and retinal development during the juvenile development. Short-wavelength sensitive opsin (SWS2), a cone photoreceptor, began to be expressed from lens and ear vesicle formation stage and its expression increased until 10 days after hatching (dah). In case of middle-wavelength sensitive opsin (MWS), its expression was detected at 3 dah and reached the highest level at 21 dah. The expression of long-wavelength sensitive opsin (LWS) was first observed from 3 dah and their expression decreased thereafter. Rhodopsin, a rod photoreceptor, was found to be expressed from 2 dah and its expression reached the highest level at 50 dah. The outer nuclear layer (ONL), inner nuclear layer (INL) and ganglion cell layer began to differentiate at 2 dah, while choroid first appeared at 4 dah so that the eyes became black. These results indicate that the development of retina mostly completes around 4 dah. It seems that the development of the retina and the expression of the opsin genes are closely related to the behavior such as hunting prey, considering that the timing of the completion of the development of the retina, the timing of gene expression, and the timing of completion of yolk absorption are similar.

Pushing the limits of photoreception in twilight conditions: The rod-like cone retina of the deep-sea pearlsides

Most vertebrates have a duplex retina comprising two photoreceptor types, rods for dim-light (scotopic) vision and cones for bright-light (photopic) and color vision. However, deep-sea fishes are only active in dim-light conditions; hence, most species have lost their cones in favor of a simplex retina composed exclusively of rods. Although the pearlsides, Maurolicus spp., have such a pure rod retina, their behavior is at odds with this simplex visual system. Contrary to other deep-sea fishes, pearlsides are mostly active during dusk and dawn close to the surface, where light levels are intermediate (twilight or mesopic) and require the use of both rod and cone photoreceptors. This study elucidates this paradox by demonstrating that the pearlside retina does not have rod photoreceptors only; instead, it is composed almost exclusively of transmuted cone photoreceptors. These transmuted cells combine the morphological characteristics of a rod photoreceptor with a cone opsin and a cone phototransduction cascade to form a unique photoreceptor type, a rod-like cone, specifically tuned to the light conditions of the pearlsides' habitat (blue-shifted light at mesopic intensities). Combining properties of both rods and cones into a single cell type, instead of using two photoreceptor types that do not function at their full potential under mesopic conditions, is likely to be the most efficient and economical solution to optimize visual performance. These results challenge the standing paradigm of the function and evolution of the vertebrate duplex retina and emphasize the need for a more comprehensive evaluation of visual systems in general.

Spectral Tuning in the Eyes of Deep-Sea Lanternfishes (Myctophidae): A Novel Sexually Dimorphic Intra-Ocular Filter

Deep-sea fishes possess several adaptations to facilitate vision where light detection is pushed to its limit. Lanternfishes (Myctophidae), one of the world's most abundant groups of mesopelagic fishes, possess a novel and unique visual specialisation, a sexually dimorphic photostable yellow pigmentation, constituting the first record of a visual sexual dimorphism in any non-primate vertebrate. The topographic distribution of the yellow pigmentation across the retina is species specific, varying in location, shape and size. Spectrophotometric analyses reveal that this new retinal specialisation differs between species in terms of composition and acts as a filter, absorbing maximally between 356 and 443 nm. Microspectrophotometry and molecular analyses indicate that the species containing this pigmentation also possess at least 2 spectrally distinct rod visual pigments as a result of a duplication of the Rh1 opsin gene. After modelling the effect of the yellow pigmentation on photoreceptor spectral sensitivity, we suggest that this unique specialisation acts as a filter to enhance contrast, thereby improving the detection of bioluminescent emissions and possibly fluorescence in the extreme environment of the deep sea. The fact that this yellow pigmentation is species specific, sexually dimorphic and isolated within specific parts of the retina indicates an evolutionary pressure to visualise prey/predators/mates in a particular part of each species' visual field.