Medium/Long wavelength sensitive opsin diversity in Pitheciidae

Goulart, VDLR; Boubli, JP; Young, RJ

Abstract

New World primates feature a complex colour vision system. Most species have polymorphic colour vision where males have a dichromatic colour perception and females can be either ichromatic or trichromatic. The adaptive value of high allelic diversity of opsins, a light sensitive protein, found in primates’ eyes remains unknown. Studies revealing the allelic diversity are important as they shed
light on our understanding of the adaptive value of differences in the colouration of species and their ecologies. Here we investigate the allelic types found in Pitheciidae, an understudied New World
primate family, revealing the diversity of medium/long wavelength sensitive opsins both in cryptic and conspicuous species of this primate family. We found five alleles in Cacajao, six in Callicebinae (i.e. Plecturocebus, Cheracebus, and Callicebus), four in Chiropotes, and three in Pithecia, some of them reported for the first time. Both cryptic and conspicuous species in this group presented high allelic diversity.

Citation

Goulart, V., Boubli, J., & Young, R. (2017). Medium/Long wavelength sensitive opsin diversity in Pitheciidae. Scientific reports, 7(7737), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08143-2

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 5, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Aug 10, 2017
• Publication Date: Aug 10, 2017
• Deposit Date: Aug 11, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 11, 2017
• Journal: Scientific Reports
• Print ISSN: 2045-2322
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 7737
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08143-2
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08143-2
• Related Public URLs: http://www.nature.com/srep/
• Additional Information: Projects : Polymorphic colour vision in new world primates