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Abstract:
The fluorescence of housefly photoreceptors was studied in vivo by using the deep pseudopupil technique. Whereas the rhodopsin R490 of the peripheral retinular cells fluoresces negligibly the metarhodopsin M580 fluoresces distinctly in the red. The newly discovered metarhodopsin M’is produced by intense blue light and can be reconverted into rhodopsin by intense long wavelength light. M’also fluoresces in the red; its excitation spectrum and emission spectrum peak at max= 570 and 660 nm respectively.
Intense ultraviolet light irreversibly reduces the visual pigment fluorescence as well as the broad band autofluorescence (kmnx 470 nm) originating from non‐visual pigments in the fly's eye.