For fish in blackness, colours abound

Research reveals previously unknown vision proteins.

The tub-eye fish (Stylephorus chordatus) was found to use five different rod opsins within its eyes. The long cylindrical shape of the eyes increases light capture and also enables the fish to move them from a horizontal to a vertical position. 

The tub-eye fish (Stylephorus chordatus) was found to use five different rod opsins within its eyes. The long cylindrical shape of the eyes increases light capture and also enables the fish to move them from a horizontal to a vertical position. Credit: Wen-Sung Chung, University of Queensland, Australia