ULTRAVIOLET VISUAL PIGMENTS IN MARINE FISHES OF THE FAMILY POMACENTRIDAE

Near-UV visual pigments have been reported in single cones of several freshwater and euryhaline fishes. The presence of UV visual pigments i n stenohaline marine fishes have, as yet, not been identified. In the pomacentridae near-UV visual pigments are present in single cones from the three species we examined-the tropical coral fishes Dascyllus tri maculatus and Pomacentrus coelestis, and the temperate Chromis punctip innis. Maximum absorption of the UV pigments is centered around 360 nm . In juvenile Chromis, however, the UV visual pigment is not present. Instead there is a single cone containing a violet-sensitive pigment a bsorbing maximally around 420 nm. All three species are obligate diurn al planktivores. The UV sensitivity may function to enhance their abil ity to forage on zooplankton.