Substratum slope and the alignment of acute zones in semi-terrestrial crabs (Ocypode ceratophthalmus)

ABSTRACT The organisation of the visual system in semi-terrestrial crabs is related to the three-dimensional structure of the environment (Zeil et al. 1986; Nalbach and Nalbach, 1987; Nalbach et al. 1989a,b;Zeil et al. 1989). In species that Eve in flat habitats - like sandy ocean beaches or mudflat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of experimental biology Vol. 152; no. 1; pp. 573 - 576
Main Author ZEIL, J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge Company of Biologists 01.09.1990
Subjects
Biochemistry. Physiology. Immunology
Biological and medical sciences
Crustacea
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Invertebrates
Physiology. Development
Crustacea
Marine environment
Eye
Visual system
Arthropoda
Decapoda
Sensory receptor
Invertebrata
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Summary:ABSTRACT The organisation of the visual system in semi-terrestrial crabs is related to the three-dimensional structure of the environment (Zeil et al. 1986; Nalbach and Nalbach, 1987; Nalbach et al. 1989a,b;Zeil et al. 1989). In species that Eve in flat habitats - like sandy ocean beaches or mudflats - we find: (1) long, vertically oriented eye stalks; (2) a small separation between the eyes; (3) an acute zone for vertical resolving power with its maximum along the eye equator; and (4) a specific gradient of vertical resolution towards more dorsal and more ventral directions of view. Species that live in three-dimensionally more complex worlds - like rocky shorelines and within mangrove forests - have short eye stalks far apart at the lateral corners of the carapace and lack prominent acute zones.
ISSN:0022-0949
1477-9145
DOI:10.1242/jeb.152.1.573