Parietal eye-pineal morphology in lizards and its physiological implications

Pineal complexes in 85 species of lizards examined comprised seven morphological types. Members of the same family do not necessarily have the same pineal complex type. "Regressive" parietal eyes were not common except in certain arboreal lizards, primarily from the family Chameleontidae. The parietal eye is often retained in burrowing lizards, presumably because these animals are occasionally exposed to light and the parietal eye is a more suitable photoreceptor for a burrower than are lateral eyes. The pineal of certain lizards possesses a finger-like projection that extends toward the parietal eye. This extension, along with pineal wall convolutions, results in more photoreceptor cells oriented for maximal absorption of light. It is rare to find convolutions and an extension in the same pineal. Cartilage deposits and blood sinuses may modify the intensity and wavelength of light reaching the pineal. These observations suggest that the intracranial pineal of lizards is a more important photoreceptor than was previously realized, a situation that may be a factor in the occasional "failure" of parietalectomy experiments.