1970/05/14 by Eric James Denton, E. J. Denton, Ignacio Ramón García Gómez · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Environmental Science · Health Professions · Medicine · #Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth #Healthcare and Environmental Waste Management #Ichthyology and Marine Biology #Marine and fisheries research #Medical Malpractice and Liability Issues
paper · doi:10.1098/rstb.1970.0037
openalex publication_date 2008/01/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/04/28
Reflecting surfaces of fish are formed of stacks of thin, flat crystals composed of guanine, as the major component, and hypoxanthine, as the minor component. The broad surfaces of these crystals are not, in general, parallel to the surfaces in which they lie in the fish but they are orientated at angles which depend on the function which they serve. The stacks of crystals in different situations also differ in the number and thickness of crystals and in spectral reflectivity. The organization of these crystals is described, in relation to function, for the silvery surfaces of bony fish, the herring and mackerel, for the reflecting tapeta found in the shark and dogfish, for the photophores of the deep-sea hatchet fish and, finally, for the eye of the scallop.