Citation: Hickling, C.F. 1925 A new type of luminescence in fishes. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 13: 914-937
Number of Pages: 24
Volume Part: 4
Keywords: Bathyal, Biochemistry, Fauna, Fish, Marine, Physiology, Pisces
Abstract: This paper describes a new type of luminescent organ, found in Malacocephalus laevis. It consists essentially of an epithelium for the secretion of luminous substance, which has been thrown into long folds and wholly invaginated to form a gland....The gland lies in the thickness of the body-wall forward of the rectum and between and behind the pelvic fins. The nature of the secretion is discussed and some experiments described. The luminescence is due to the action of luciferase on luciferin. The specimens were obtained from the Atlantic south and west of Ireland, in depths of over 150 fathoms, between January and May 1925.