Histological and histochemical investigation of the compound eye of the whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

Abstract

The compound eye is the primary visual system in crustaceans. Although the histological structure and histochemical characteristics of compound eyes of some insect and crab species are now well understood, no such studies have been undertaken in the whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). In this study, eye samples from L. vannamei were fixed and paraffin sections were stained using several histochemical methods. The histological structure of each layer of the compound eye was examined and compared using different histochemical staining methods. It was found that the compound eye of L. vannamei consisted of cuticle, cornea, ommatidia, optic nerve layer, lamina ganglionaris, and medulla in an outside-in order. The cuticle of L. vannamei eyes was very thin, composed of a single epicuticle layer, as confirmed by Masson’s trichrome stain. The screening pigments produced by screening pigment cells were arranged at the junction of the ommatidia and optic nerve layer; these pigments stained differentially after different histochemical staining methods suggesting the screening pigment cells can be classified into different types. Notably, clusters of foamy glandular cells (FGCs) were observed in the optic nerve layer; these stained positively with periodic acid-Schiff and toluidine blue, and appeared blue after Masson’s trichrome stain. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was used to further 12 13