New observations of fluorescent organisms in the Banda Sea and in the Red Sea

Abstract

AbstractFluorescence is a widespread phenomenon found in animals, bacteria, fungi, and plants. In marine environments fluorescence has been proposed to play a role in physiological and behavioral responses. Fluorescence has been described in jellyfish, corals and fish, and many fluorescent proteins and molecules have been identified. Here we describe new fluorescent species, which we found during night dives in the Banda Sea, Indonesia, and in the Red Sea, Egypt. Among various phyla we found fluorescence in sponges, molluscs, tunicates, and fish and, with this, extend the knowledge on the number of fluorescent species in marine environments.