Rod and cone pigments of the Atlantic guitarfish, Rhinobatos lentiginosus Garman

Using both extraction- and micro-spectrophotometric (MSP) methods the visual pigment(s) from the rods and cones of the Atlantic guitarfish, Rhinobatos lentiginosus, were shown to be spectrally similar, if not identical (lambda max = 498-499 nm). Color vision, therefore, is unlikely unless mediated via colored oil droplets in the inner segments. The identical lambda max for the rod and cone pigments suggest that vision in both dim and bright light may correlate with the underwater spectrum over the depths and the times of day that guitarfish are active. The primary advantage of the blue-green sensitive visual pigments, we suggest, is to enhance the contrast of targets silhouetted against the background spacelight.