. The Biological bulletin. Biology; Zoology; Marine biology. THE EYE OF RIMICARIS SP. (CRUSTACEA) 99 80°W 60°W 40°W 20°W 50°N 40°N 30°N 20°N 10°N North America. Figure 1. Map showing the Snake Pit hydrothermal vent field, where Rimicaris sp. was collected, and the other known hydrothermal sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The Snake Pit field is 3500 m below the surface at 23°'N; 45°'W. The TransAtlantic Geotraverse (TAG) field is 3700 m below the surface at 26°'N; 44°'W. The Broken Spur field is 3100 m below the surface at 29°'N; 43°'W. The Lucky Strike field is 1700 m
. The Biological bulletin. Biology; Zoology; Marine biology. THE EYE OF RIMICARIS SP. (CRUSTACEA) 99 80°W 60°W 40°W 20°W 50°N 40°N 30°N 20°N 10°N North America. Figure 1. Map showing the Snake Pit hydrothermal vent field, where Rimicaris sp. was collected, and the other known hydrothermal sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The Snake Pit field is 3500 m below the surface at 23°'N; 45°'W. The TransAtlantic Geotraverse (TAG) field is 3700 m below the surface at 26°'N; 44°'W. The Broken Spur field is 3100 m below the surface at 29°'N; 43°'W. The Lucky Strike field is 1700 m below the surface at 37° ; 32° le-SAV. part of their dorsal surfaces, and in R. exoculata this structure has been shown to be an eye (Van Dover et ai, 1989; O'NeiU era/., 1995). The discovery of an unusual and large eye on a hydro- thermal vent species which lives 3500 to 3700 m below the ocean surface impUes a heretofore unrecognized source of Ught. Previous to the discovery of the dorsal eye of R. exoculata, everyone assumed that, since no light reached hydrothermal vent fields from the surface, animals there hved in complete darkness (, Tunniclifie, 1992). Pelli and Chamberlain (1989) calculated that R. exoculata ought to be able to detect black-body radiation from the tops of the black smoker chimneys that are gushing 350°C vent water. The light emitted from the tops of black smokers has now been photographed, although the mech- anism by which it is produced is still uncertain (Van Dover etal, 1994). We undertook R/V Atlantis II cruise 129-7 in May 1993 to investigate vision in hydrothermal vent shrimp more thoroughly. During the cruise, we realized that the small orange bresiliid shrimp we were collecting from the Snake Pit Site was very likely a distinct species. Individual live specimens survived well at the surface for many days, and, as a result, we achieved preliminary electrophysio- logical investigations of nerve fiber responses from the
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