Occlusable Yellow Corneas in Tetraodontidae

Abstract

In three species of brackish-water puffer fish (Tetraodontidae) the corneas are colourless in the dark but become yellow in the light, through the migration of pigment in chromatophore cells lining the corneal margirts. Spectrophotometry indicted the pigment to be a carotenoid. The threshold and time course of pigment migration were determined, and the effects of Unilateral illumination and optic nerve section suggest that the movement is under local control. It is shown that the increase in optical sensitivity obtained by clearing the eye of pigment should be advantageous for fish living in clear water.