Limnichthys fasciatus

Barred Sand Burrower
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Actinopterygii
Order:Trachiniformes
Family:Creediidae
Genus:Limnichthys
Species: L. fasciatus
Binomial name
Limnichthys fasciatus
Waite, 1904

The Barred Sand Burrower (Limnichthys fasciatus) is a species of sandburrower. It is noted for its highly developed eyes, with a structure similar to the eyes of a chameleon, which has led it to be described as marine chameleon.[2] Its fully grown length measures between 20 millimetres (0.79 in) and 40 millimetres (1.6 in). The species is native to reefs in the Indo-Pacific. The fish preys on plankton prey by surprise attacking it from a hiding in loose sand,[3] with only the eyes protruding from the sand.[4][5]

Vision

A unique property of this species is its vision. The cornea is 1/7th of the thickness of the entire eye, and has a convex shape due to a lens embedded in the cornea.[6] The cornea can focus, which allows the fish to have depth perception without moving it's head. The lens itself is flattened.[2] Its eye is also notable for its high density of retinal ganglion cells compared to other species of fish.[5] Because of the rapid and accurate attack on prey, it is assumed the fish has good eyesight.

References

  1. ↑ "Limnichthys fasciatus (Barred Sand Burrower)". www.iucnredlist.org.
  2. 1 2 Pettigrew, J. D., and S. P. Collin. "Terrestrial optics in an aquatic eye: The sandlance, Limnichthytes fasciatus (Creediidae, Teleostei)." Journal of Comparative Physiology A 177.4 (1995): 397–408.
  3. ↑ Schwab, I. R., S. P. Collin, and J. D. Pettigrew. "Chameleon of the sea." British Journal of Ophthalmology 89.1 (2005): 4–4.
  4. ↑ Fritsches, Kerstin A., and Justin Marshall. "A new category of eye movements in a small fish." Current Biology 9.8 (1999): R272–R273.
  5. 1 2 Ivan R. Schwab; Richard R. Dubielzig; Charles Schobert (5 January 2012). Evolution's Witness: How Eyes Evolved. OUP USA. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-19-536974-8.
  6. ↑ Johan Rinder (1940). Acta Physiologica Scandinavica: Supplementum. publisher not identified. p. 8.
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