Regarding Colin Hermans intriguing idea:
Sea hares are known to ink - http://home.earthlink.net/~huskertomkat/hare.html
- but are not known for their great vision. Definitely want to
learn more about alciopid ink & eyes.
Best,
Eric
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Eric Gonzales PhD
Postdoc - Rokhsar Laboratory
University of California at Berkeley
Molecular and Cell Biology
543 Life Sciences Addition
Berkeley CA 94720
Phone 510 643 9944
Cell 415 601 4923
Email eegonzales from berkeley.edu
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
On Mar 3, 2009, at 4:29 PM, Colin Hermans wrote:
> Dear Mikhail and Geoff:
>> I think it is an outrageous coincidence that alciopids and
> cephalopods have evolved eyes that are so similar in structure right
> down to the ultrastructural level (Hermans, C.O. and R.M. Eakin
> (l974) Fine structure of the eyes of an alciopid polychaete, Vanadis
> tagensis. Zeit. Morph. Tiere. 79:245-267). Now on top of that,
> both groups have evolved inking. - Do alciopids really ink?
>> What other group of aquatic animals ink? Is their a connection
> between great vision, and the evolution of inking? Like the
> shedding of tails by certain lizards, inking must be of value to the
> prey of a visual predator. The complexity of the eyes of alciopids
> suggests that they may be visual predators. - but then why would
> they ink? It would just mess up their own vision. Maybe visual
> deception, as practiced by cephalopod, and perhaps, by alciopids,
> could be the link between inking in the two groups?
>> Just a thought, with best regards, Colin
>> On Mar 2, 2009, at 5:26 PM, Geoff Read wrote:
>>> Hi Mikhail,
>>>> I didn't know of this ability. But as it is in Google's database
>> you will have seen the 1975 reference below. I mention it for
>> others as a starter point for any earlier references.
>>>> Hamner, W.M.; Madin, L.P.; Alldredge, A.L.; Gilmer, R.W.; Hamner,
>> P.P. (1975). Underwater observations of gelatinous zooplankton:
>> sampling problems, feeding biology, and behavior. Limnology and
>> Oceanography 20(6): 907-917. http://aslo.org/lo/toc/vol_20/issue_6/0907.pdf>>>> p.915 "several alciopid polychaetes that released reddish-brown
>> streamers of pigment as they swam away"
>>>> Tomopterid bioluminescence is apparently mentioned in Herring, P.J.
>> 1987. Systematic distribution of bioluminescence in living
>> organisms. J.
>> Biolum. Chemilum. 1 :147-163.
>>>>>> Geoff
>>>>>>>>> On 3/03/2009 at 1:37 p.m., mikhail matz <matz from mail.utexas.edu>
>>>>> wrote:
>>> Dear colleagues,
>>>>>> I am looking for references on inking in acyopids. This remarkable
>>> phenomenon seems to be common knowledge among blue-water divers, but
>>> proves to be surprisingly difficult to trace in the literature. I am
>>> now writing a review about animal fluorescence, and want to see if
>>> anybody described what I observed - fluorescent ink in some
>>> alcyopids
>>> (would look pale yellow in a collection jar in daylight). If not
>>> that, I would tremendously appreciate references to any kind of
>>> defensive inking in these cute worms.
>>>>>> best,
>>>>>> Misha
>>>>>> Mikhail V. Matz
>>> University of Texas at Austin
>>> Integrative Biology Section
>>> 1 University station C0930
>>> Austin, TX 78712
>>> phone 512-992-8086 cell, 512-475-6424 lab
>>> fax 512-471-3878
>>> web http://www.bio.utexas.edu/research/matz_lab>>>> --
>>>> Geoff Read <g.read from niwa.co.nz>
>>http://www.annelida.net/>>http://www.niwascience.co.nz/ncabb/>> About NIWA http://www.niwa.co.nz/about>> ***************************
>>>>>> NIWA is the trading name of the National Institute of Water &
>> Atmospheric Research Ltd.
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