Superman on the reef

Superman is alive and well in the warm, bright, shallow seas of the coral reef. He is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and capable of seeing into a realm we cannot begin to understand. The mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyallurus), a misnamed stomatopod, is the captivating creature gracing this month’s cover, and he has an array of talents and stealth so impressive as to make him a decathlete of unprecedented prowess. For those interested in vision, this creature is truly world class, with few if any competitors. Eyes in these species should be considered the invertebrate equivalent of the avian eye in vertebrates—top of the line in the phylum.

As can be seen from the arresting photograph on this page, the compound eyes of Odontodactylus scyallurus have a belt-like region that seems to divide the eye in half. This equatorial belt is called a mid-band and has six specialised rows of ommatidia, the individual units of every compound eye. An ommatidium contains eight separate retinular cells arranged in a petaloid fashion when seen in cross section. Each retinular cell provides microvilli with photopigments in its membranes. Each set of …