Bioluminescence of a bathypelagic fish, Argyropelecus hemigymnus Cocco
(1974) Soc belge Physiol Pharmacol — Location: Liège (Belgium) (1.October.1974)
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- Authors
Maréchal, Georges 
- Abstract
- Photophores of Argyropelecus hemigymnus were isolated and stimulated electrically. They produced one light flash in response to a stimulus shorter than 4 msec, with a latency time of 2 msec, rise time of 0.6 msec followed by an exponential decay lasting 7 msec. A single stimulus longer than 4 msec (up to 16 msec) evoked 3 to 4 similar flashes, with a certain degree of summation. A train of stimulus (l2-5lsec) induced a train of flashes, which however fatigue rapidly; at a frequency of 25/sec, the organ emitted one flash at the first stimulus, and no response afterwards. The intensity of the light production was very variable: from 6 x 107 to 6 x lO9 quanta/sec. A continuous emission of light was never observed on fresh photophores. There was a low level of ATP (< 0.4 µmole/g), and fair amount of ADP (0.4 to 1.0 µmole/g) and of AMP (0.2 to 0.4 µmol/g). Luminous bacteria were found in the viscera of Argyropelecus. Their light emission was continuous, oxygen dependent and had a peak maximum at480 mµ. These bacteria grow well in an agar-peptone medium with 3 % NaCl.
Citations
Baguet, F., & Maréchal, G. (1974). Bioluminescence of a bathypelagic fish, Argyropelecus hemigymnus Cocco. Archives Internationales de Physiologie et de Biochimie, 82(4), 754-756. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/214619 (Original work published 1974)