Light and scanning electron microscopy of the eye of Siganus luridus (Rüppell, 1828)

Amira Derbalah; Samir A A El-Gendy; Hanan H Abd-Elhafeez; Soha Soliman; Ahmed A El-Mansi; Manal Seif; Ahmed M Rashwan; Mamdouh B Eldesoqui; Catrin Sian Rutland; Valentina Kubale; Mohamed A M Alsafy

doi:10.3389/fvets.2024.1417278

Light and scanning electron microscopy of the eye of Siganus luridus (Rüppell, 1828)

Front Vet Sci. 2024 Sep 20:11:1417278. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1417278. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Histology and Cytology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
² Anatomy and Embryology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
³ Department of Cell and Tissues, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt.
⁵ Biology Department, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Anatomy and Embryology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Matrouh University, Mersa Matrouh, Egypt.
⁷ Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt.
⁸ Department of Life Science Frontiers, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
⁹ Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁰ School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
¹¹ Institute of Preclinical Sciences, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Abstract

Introduction: The morphological characteristics of eyes in fishes are highly diverse and have evolved to meet the specific visual requirements as per their habitats. These morphological features of eyes are important for researchers and ecologists. The dusky spinefoot (Siganus luridus) is a tropical teleost fish with a laterally flattened body which lives in the Mediterranean Sea. Currently, there are no histological data relating to the Siganus luridus eye.

Methods: In this study, the morphology of the Siganus luridus eye was examined to enhance our understanding of its structure and its relationship to fish ecology. Detailed gross and microscopic features were recorded using light and scanning microscopy.

Results: The key observations describe the main structural features of the eye of Siganus luridus, specifically, the diameter of the orbit, architecture of three tunics of eye and detailed lens description. The choroid was divided into four layers, and had a rete mirabile, consisting of numerous small blood vessels in the choroidal gland. The tapetum lucidum was observed, which is interesting since Siganus luridus is herbivore and herbivores typically lack a tapetum lucidum.

Discussion: These observations shed new light on the intricate eye structure of Siganus luridus and provide valuable insights into its visual abilities and adaptations to the aquatic environment and feeding behavior.

Keywords: Siganus luridus; eye; lens fibers; orbit; photoreceptors.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The authors would like to express sincere gratitude to the Researchers Supporting Project number (MHIRSP2024009) AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the financial support of this research and acknowledge funding from the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency program P4-0053 for financial support.