Abstract
BackgroundLizards are excellent models to study the adaptations of the visual system to different scenarios, and surface-dwelling representatives have been relatively well studied. In contrast, very little is known about the functional anatomy of the eyes of fossorial lineages, and properties such as the light transmission by the ocular media have never been characterised in any fossorial species. Some lizards in the family Gymnophthalmidae endemic to the sand dunes of North Eastern Brazil have evolved sand-burrowing habits and nocturnal activity. Lizards in the sister group to Gymnophthalmidae, the family Teiidae, have decidedly diurnal and epigeal lifestyles, yet they are equally poorly known in terms of visual systems. We focussed on the eye anatomy, photoreceptor morphology and light transmittance properties of the ocular media and oil droplets in the gymnophthalmid Calyptommatus nicterus and the teiid Ameivula ocellifera.ResultsThe general organisation of the eyes of the fossorial nocturnal C. nicterus and the epigeal diurnal A. ocellifera is remarkably similar. The lenses are highly transmissive to light well into the ultraviolet part of the spectrum. The photoreceptors have the typical cone morphology, with narrow short outer segments and oil droplets. The main difference between the two species is that C. nicterus has only colourless oil droplets, whereas A. ocellifera has colourless as well as green-yellow and pale-orange droplets.ConclusionsOur results challenge the assumption that fossorial lizards undergo loss of visual function, a claim that is usually guided by the reduced size and external morphology of their eyes. In the case of C. nicterus, the visual system is well suited for vision in bright light and shows specialisations that improve sensitivity in dim light, suggesting that they might perform some visually-guided behaviour above the surface at the beginning or the end of their daily activity period, when light levels are relatively high in their open dunes habitat. This work highlights how studies on the functional anatomy of sensory systems can provide insights into the habits of secretive species.
Highlights
Lizards are excellent models to study the adaptations of the visual system to different scenarios, and surface-dwelling representatives have been relatively well studied
Eye morphology and retinal structure The eye of Calyptommatus nicterus is visible as a small, black dot beneath the transparent spectacle (Fig. 3a)
The fact that the retinal layers are as well-structured in C. nicterus as in A. ocellifera and the presence of an optic nerve suggest that the connectivity of the eyes to the visual processing centres in the brain is not impaired in the fossorial species
Summary
Lizards are excellent models to study the adaptations of the visual system to different scenarios, and surface-dwelling representatives have been relatively well studied. Very little is known about the functional anatomy of the eyes of fossorial lineages, and properties such as the light transmission by the ocular media have never been characterised in any fossorial species. The evolutionary history of squamate reptiles is rich in transitions regarding microhabitat use and diel patterns [1, 2], both of which pose particular challenges to the performance of the visual system. This makes them an excellent system to study the range of adaptations selected for different scenarios, and phenotype convergences among species that have evolved towards the same lifestyle. There are several studies dealing with “typical” diurnal, four-limbed lacertiform lizards, including iguanians (e.g., anoles, dragon lizards, chameleons) [18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27]-, skinks [28,29,30,31], and lacertids [22, 32, 33]
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