A comparative study of the pineal complex in the deep-sea fishes Bathylagus Wesethi and Nezumia liolepis

Abstract

The pineal complexes of two deep-sea fishes, Bathylagus wesethi (family Bathylagidae) and Nezumia liolepis (family Macrouridae), were studied with both light and electron microscopy. Receptor and supportive cells were identified in the pineals of both species. The presence of receptor cells suggests that the pineals function in photoreception. Ganglion cells could be identified only in B. wesethi. A dorsal sac and a paraphysis were found in B. wesethi; both structures are absent in N. liolepis. Several trends were found when the results of this study were compared with those of a study on the pineal complex of another deep-sea fish, the myctophid Triphoturus mexicanus (McNulty and Nafpaktitis, 1976). Two of these trends, which are correlated with the vertical distributions of the species studied, suggest an increase in the photosensitivity of the pineals. These are: 1) an increase in the average number of outer segment lamellar membranes per receptor cell, and 2) an increase in the ratio of receptor cells to nerve fibers in the pineal stalks. A functional relationship between the dorsal sac, paraphysis, and pineal central lumen was suggested. The relationship may involve secretory activities.