Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Sensory physiology

Brainless eyes

Nature volume 435, pages 157–159 (2005)Cite this article

The visual equipment of box jellyfish includes eight optically advanced eyes that operate with only a rudimentary nervous system. As they produce blurred images, their function remains an open question.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Eye see — but what? A box jellyfish of the genus Chironex.

R. STEENE/IMAGEQUESTMARINE.COM

Figure 2: The rhopalium (sensory club) of a box jellyfish.

References

  1. Nicholls, J. G., Martin, A. R., Wallace, B. G. & Fuchs, P. A. From Neuron to Brain 4th edn (Sinauer, Sunderland, MA, 2001).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Nilsson, D. -E., Gislén, L., Coates, M. M., Skogh, C. & Garm, A. Nature 435, 201–205 (2005).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Satterlie, R. A. Can. J. Zool. 80, 1654–1669 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Land, M. F. & Nilsson, D. -E. Animal Eyes (Oxford Univ. Press, 2003).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Coates, M. M. Integr. Comp. Biol. 43, 542–548 (2003).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Weissmann, C. Trends Biochem. Sci. 3, 109–111 (1978).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Stange, G. J. Comp. Physiol. A 141, 335–347 (1981).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Wehner, R. J. Comp. Physiol. A 189, 579–588 (2003).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Schweigart, G. & Eysel, U. T. Eur. J. Neurosci. 15, 1585–1596 (2002).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Satterlie, R. A. J. Comp. Physiol. 133, 357–367 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Laska, G. & Hundgen, M. Zool. Jb. Anat. 108, 107–123 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Department of Zoology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland

    Rüdiger Wehner

Authors
  1. Rüdiger Wehner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wehner, R. Brainless eyes. Nature 435, 157–159 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/435157a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/435157a

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing