Luminescence in absence of oxygen in the ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi

✍ Scribed by Harvey, E. Newton ;Korr, I. M.

• Book ID: 102310702
• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1938
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 350 KB
• Volume: 12
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0095-9898
• DOI: 10.1002/jcp.1030120305

✦ Synopsis

ONE FIGURE

I n 1667, Robert Boyle observed that the luminescence of dead meat (luminous bacteria) and of shining wood (luminous fungi) disappeared under his air pump and reappeared when the air was returned. Since that time it has been demonstrated that the luminescence of practically all luminous organisms only occurs in presence of molecular oxygen, although the amount necessary is often minute. These include such forms as fire-flies and Pyrophorus (Dubois, 1886), the mollusc, Pholas (Dubois, 1887) ; the cystoflagellate, Noctiluca (E. B. Harvey, '17) ; the fish, Malacocephalus (Hickling, '25) ; the pennatulids, Cavernularia and Pennatula ; the polychaete worms Chaetopterus, Acholoe and Theleptus ; the earthworm, Microscolex ; the brittle star, Amphiura ; the ostracod, Cypridina ; several species of copepods, the squid, Heteroteuthis ; and the cordate, Balanoglossus. However, luminescence of the ctenophores, Mnemiopsis, Beroe and Eucharis ; the medusae, Pelagia, and the radiolaria, Thallassicola and Colozoun, was found to occur in absence of oxygen (E. N. Harvey, '26 b).