Spectral sensitivity of photoreceptors in an Australian marsupial, the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii)

Abstract

Microspectrophotometric measurements on the rod photoreceptors of the tammar wallaby showed that they have a peak absorbance at 501 nm. This indicates that macropod marsupials have a typical mammalian rhodopsin. An electroretinogram-based study of the photoreceptors confirmed this measurement and provided clear evidence for a single middle wavelength-sensitive cone pigment with a peak sensitivity at 539 nm. The electroretinogram did not reveal the presence of a short-wavelength-sensitive cone pigment as was expected from behavioural and anatomical data. Limitations of the electroretinogram in demonstrating the presence of photopigments are discussed in relation to similarly inconsistent results from other species.