The pupil of the camera-like eyes of terrestrial gastropod mollusks (Heterobranchia, Stylom-matophora)

Abstract

In terrestrial pulmonate gastropods Cochlodina laminata, Monachoides incarnata, Helicigona lapicida, Arianta arbustorum, Cepaea hortensis, Trochulus hispidus and Succinea putris, the morphological properties of the pupil of camera-like eyes were studied for the first time: location, spatial orientation, change in spatial orientation, structure, shape, shape change, relative size, change in relative size. Several methods were used in the work: making of preparations of isolated eyes, making of histological preparations of eyes, light microscopy, morphometric analysis, statistical analysis, calculations. All the studied morphological properties of the pupil of the camera-like eyes of C. laminata, M. incarnata, H. lapicida, A. arbustorum, C. hortensis and T. hispidus are similar to the analogous morphological properties of the pupil of the camera-like eyes of other species of terrestrial pulmonates. One of the studied morphological properties of the pupil of the camera-like eye of S. putris – the relative size – differs from the analogous morphological property of the pupil of the camera-like eyes of other species of terrestrial pulmonates.