Photophore

For other uses, see Photophore (disambiguation).
The elongate jewel squid (Histioteuthis reversa), so called because the photophores festooning its body make it appear bejewelled.
Diagram of a cephalopod's photophore, in vertical section.

A photophore is a glandular organ that appears as luminous spots on various marine animals, including fish and cephalopods. The organ can be simple, or as complex as the human eye, equipped with lenses, shutters, color filters, and reflectors; unlike an eye, however, it is optimized to produce light, not absorb it.[1]

  1. ^ Young, Richard E.; Vecchione, Michael; Mangold, Katharina M. (1999). "Cephalopod Photophore Terminology". Tree of Life Project. Retrieved 2012-08-30.