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Schluessel V, Rick IP, Seifert FD, Baumann C, Lee Davies WI. Not just shades of grey: life is full of colour for the ocellate river stingray (Potamotrygon motoro). J Exp Biol 2021; 224:237826. [PMID: 33771913 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.226142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that marine stingrays have the anatomical and physiological basis for colour vision, with cone spectral sensitivity in the blue to green range of the visible spectrum. Behavioural studies on Glaucostegus typus also showed that blue and grey can be perceived and discriminated. The present study is the first to assess visual opsin genetics in the ocellate river stingray (Potamotrygon motoro) and test whether individuals perceive colour in two alternative forced choice experiments. Retinal transcriptome profiling using RNA-Seq and quantification demonstrated the presence of lws and rh2 cone opsin genes and a highly expressed single rod (rh1) opsin gene. Spectral tuning analysis predicted these vitamin A1-based visual photopigments to exhibit spectral absorbance maxima at 461 nm (rh2), 496 nm (rh1) and 555 nm (lws); suggesting the presence of dichromacy in this species. Indeed, P. motoro demonstrates the potential to be equally sensitive to wavelengths from 380 to 600 nm of the visible spectrum. Behavioural results showed that red and green plates, as well as blue and yellow plates, were readily discriminated based on colour; however, brightness differences also played a part in the discrimination of blue and yellow. Red hues of different brightness were distinguished significantly above chance level from one another. In conclusion, the genetic and behavioural results support prior data on marine stingrays. However, this study suggests that freshwater stingrays of the family Potamotrygonidae may have a visual colour system that has ecologically adapted to a riverine habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Schluessel
- Institute of Zoology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Poppelsdorfer Schloss, Meckenheimer Allee 169, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Ingolf P Rick
- Institute of Zoology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Poppelsdorfer Schloss, Meckenheimer Allee 169, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Friederike Donata Seifert
- Institute of Zoology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Poppelsdorfer Schloss, Meckenheimer Allee 169, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Christina Baumann
- Institute of Zoology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Poppelsdorfer Schloss, Meckenheimer Allee 169, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Wayne Iwan Lee Davies
- Institute of Zoology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Poppelsdorfer Schloss, Meckenheimer Allee 169, 53115 Bonn, Germany.,Umeå Centre for Molecular Medicine (UCMM), Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,School of Life Sciences, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne Campus, Melbourne, VIC 3086, Australia
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2
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Visual discrimination and resolution in freshwater stingrays (Potamotrygon motoro). J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2020; 207:43-58. [PMID: 33263813 PMCID: PMC7875849 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-020-01454-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Potamotrygon motoro has been shown to use vision to orient in a laboratory setting and has been successfully trained in cognitive behavioral studies using visual stimuli. This study explores P. motoro's visual discrimination abilities in the context of two-alternative forced-choice experiments, with a focus on shape and contrast, stimulus orientation, and visual resolution. Results support that stingrays are able to discriminate stimulus-presence and -absence, overall stimulus contrasts, two forms, horizontal from vertical stimulus orientations, and different colors that also vary in brightness. Stingrays tested in visual resolution experiments demonstrated a range of visual acuities from < 0.13 to 0.23 cpd under the given experimental conditions. Additionally, this report includes the first evidence for memory retention in this species.
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3
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Hart NS, Lamb TD, Patel HR, Chuah A, Natoli RC, Hudson NJ, Cutmore SC, Davies WIL, Collin SP, Hunt DM. Visual Opsin Diversity in Sharks and Rays. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 37:811-827. [PMID: 31770430 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The diversity of color vision systems found in extant vertebrates suggests that different evolutionary selection pressures have driven specializations in photoreceptor complement and visual pigment spectral tuning appropriate for an animal's behavior, habitat, and life history. Aquatic vertebrates in particular show high variability in chromatic vision and have become important models for understanding the role of color vision in prey detection, predator avoidance, and social interactions. In this study, we examined the capacity for chromatic vision in elasmobranch fishes, a group that have received relatively little attention to date. We used microspectrophotometry to measure the spectral absorbance of the visual pigments in the outer segments of individual photoreceptors from several ray and shark species, and we sequenced the opsin mRNAs obtained from the retinas of the same species, as well as from additional elasmobranch species. We reveal the phylogenetically widespread occurrence of dichromatic color vision in rays based on two cone opsins, RH2 and LWS. We also confirm that all shark species studied to date appear to be cone monochromats but report that in different species the single cone opsin may be of either the LWS or the RH2 class. From this, we infer that cone monochromacy in sharks has evolved independently on multiple occasions. Together with earlier discoveries in secondarily aquatic marine mammals, this suggests that cone-based color vision may be of little use for large marine predators, such as sharks, pinnipeds, and cetaceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan S Hart
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
| | - Trevor D Lamb
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Hardip R Patel
- Department of Genome Sciences, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Aaron Chuah
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Riccardo C Natoli
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,ANU Medical School, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Nicholas J Hudson
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Scott C Cutmore
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Wayne I L Davies
- Umeå Centre for Molecular Medicine (UCMM), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Shaun P Collin
- School of Life Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
| | - David M Hunt
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.,Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Lions Eye Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia
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Vision in sharks and rays: Opsin diversity and colour vision. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2020; 106:12-19. [PMID: 32331993 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The visual sense of elasmobranch fishes is poorly studied compared to their bony cousins, the teleosts. Nevertheless, the elasmobranch eye features numerous specialisations that have no doubt facilitated the diversification and evolutionary success of this fascinating taxon. In this review, I highlight recent discoveries on the nature and phylogenetic distribution of visual pigments in sharks and rays. Whereas most rays appear to be cone dichromats, all sharks studied to date are cone monochromats and, as a group, have likely abandoned colour vision on multiple occasions. This situation in sharks mirrors that seen in other large marine predators, the pinnipeds and cetaceans, which leads us to reassess the costs and benefits of multiple cone pigments and wavelength discrimination in the marine environment.
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Lyons K, Bigman JS, Kacev D, Mull CG, Carlisle AB, Imhoff JL, Anderson JM, Weng KC, Galloway AS, Cave E, Gunn TR, Lowe CG, Brill RW, Bedore CN. Bridging disciplines to advance elasmobranch conservation: applications of physiological ecology. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 7:coz011. [PMID: 31110763 PMCID: PMC6519003 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coz011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2018] [Revised: 02/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
A strength of physiological ecology is its incorporation of aspects of both species' ecology and physiology; this holistic approach is needed to address current and future anthropogenic stressors affecting elasmobranch fishes that range from overexploitation to the effects of climate change. For example, physiology is one of several key determinants of an organism's ecological niche (along with evolutionary constraints and ecological interactions). The fundamental role of physiology in niche determination led to the development of the field of physiological ecology. This approach considers physiological mechanisms in the context of the environment to understand mechanistic variations that beget ecological trends. Physiological ecology, as an integrative discipline, has recently experienced a resurgence with respect to conservation applications, largely in conjunction with technological advances that extended physiological work from the lab into the natural world. This is of critical importance for species such as elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays), which are an especially understudied and threatened group of vertebrates. In 2017, at the American Elasmobranch Society meeting in Austin, Texas, the symposium entitled `Applications of Physiological Ecology in Elasmobranch Research' provided a platform for researchers to showcase work in which ecological questions were examined through a physiological lens. Here, we highlight the research presented at this symposium, which emphasized the strength of linking physiological tools with ecological questions. We also demonstrate the applicability of using physiological ecology research as a method to approach conservation issues, and advocate for a more available framework whereby results are more easily accessible for their implementation into management practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Lyons
- Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - J S Bigman
- Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
| | - D Kacev
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - C G Mull
- Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
| | | | - J L Imhoff
- Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, St. Teresa, FL, USA
| | - J M Anderson
- University of Hawai`i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - K C Weng
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA, USA
| | - A S Galloway
- South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, SC, USA
| | - E Cave
- Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA
| | - T R Gunn
- Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA USA
| | - C G Lowe
- California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA
| | - R W Brill
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA, USA
| | - C N Bedore
- Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA USA
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Thomas KN, Robison BH, Johnsen S. Two eyes for two purposes: in situ evidence for asymmetric vision in the cockeyed squids Histioteuthis heteropsis and Stigmatoteuthis dofleini. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:rstb.2016.0069. [PMID: 28193814 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The light environment of the mesopelagic realm of the ocean changes with both depth and viewer orientation, and this has probably driven the high diversity of visual adaptations found among its inhabitants. The mesopelagic 'cockeyed' squids of family Histioteuthidae have unusual eyes, as the left and right eyes are dimorphic in size, shape and sometimes lens pigmentation. This dimorphism may be an adaptation to the two different sources of light in the mesopelagic realm, with the large eye oriented upward to view objects silhouetted against the dim, downwelling sunlight and the small eye oriented slightly downward to view bioluminescent point sources. We used in situ video footage from remotely operated vehicles in the Monterey Submarine Canyon to observe the orientation behaviour of 152 Histioteuthis heteropsis and nine Stigmatoteuthis dofleini We found evidence for upward orientation in the large eye and slightly downward orientation in the small eye, which was facilitated by a tail-up oblique body orientation. We also found that 65% of adult H. heteropsis (n = 69) had yellow pigmentation in the lens of the larger left eye, which may be used to break the counterillumination camouflage of their prey. Finally, we used visual modelling to show that the visual returns provided by increasing eye size are much higher for an upward-oriented eye than for a downward-oriented eye, which may explain the development of this unique visual strategy.This article is part of the themed issue 'Vision in dim light'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate N Thomas
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Bruce H Robison
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
| | - Sönke Johnsen
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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7
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The Ebbinghaus illusion in the gray bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium griseum) in comparison to the teleost damselfish (Chromis chromis). ZOOLOGY 2017; 123:16-29. [PMID: 28712674 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2017.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2016] [Revised: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 05/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
This is the first study to comparatively assess the perception of the Ebbinghaus-Titchener circles and variations of the Delboeuf illusion in four juvenile bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium griseum) and five damselfish (Chromis chromis) using identical training paradigms. We aimed to investigate whether these two species show similarities in the perceptual integration of local elements into the global context. The Ebbinghaus-Titchener circles consist of two equally sized central test circles surrounded by smaller or larger circles of different size, number and/or distance. During training, sharks and damselfish learned to distinguish a large circle from a small circle, regardless (i) of its gray level and (ii) of the presence of surrounding circles arranged along an outer semi-circle. During the subsequent transfer period, individuals were presented with variations of the Ebbinghaus-Titchener circles and the Delboeuf illusion. Similar to adult humans, dolphins, or some birds, damselfish tended to judge the test circle surrounded by smaller inducers as larger than the one surrounded by larger inducers (contrast effect). However, sharks significantly preferred the overall larger figure or chose indifferently between both alternatives (assimilation effect). These contrasting responses point towards potential differences in perceptual processing mechanisms, such as 'filling-in' or '(a)modal completion', 'perceptual grouping', and 'local' or 'global' visual perception. The present study provides intriguing insights into the perceptual abilities of phylogenetically distant taxa separated in evolutionary time by 200 million years.
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Gruber DF, Loew ER, Deheyn DD, Akkaynak D, Gaffney JP, Smith WL, Davis MP, Stern JH, Pieribone VA, Sparks JS. Biofluorescence in Catsharks (Scyliorhinidae): Fundamental Description and Relevance for Elasmobranch Visual Ecology. Sci Rep 2016; 6:24751. [PMID: 27109385 PMCID: PMC4843165 DOI: 10.1038/srep24751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Biofluorescence has recently been found to be widespread in marine fishes, including sharks. Catsharks, such as the Swell Shark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) from the eastern Pacific and the Chain Catshark (Scyliorhinus retifer) from the western Atlantic, are known to exhibit bright green fluorescence. We examined the spectral sensitivity and visual characteristics of these reclusive sharks, while also considering the fluorescent properties of their skin. Spectral absorbance of the photoreceptor cells in these sharks revealed the presence of a single visual pigment in each species. Cephaloscyllium ventriosum exhibited a maximum absorbance of 484 ± 3 nm and an absorbance range at half maximum (λ1/2max) of 440-540 nm, whereas for S. retifer maximum absorbance was 488 ± 3 nm with the same absorbance range. Using the photoreceptor properties derived here, a "shark eye" camera was designed and developed that yielded contrast information on areas where fluorescence is anatomically distributed on the shark, as seen from other sharks' eyes of these two species. Phylogenetic investigations indicate that biofluorescence has evolved at least three times in cartilaginous fishes. The repeated evolution of biofluorescence in elasmobranchs, coupled with a visual adaptation to detect it; and evidence that biofluorescence creates greater luminosity contrast with the surrounding background, highlights the potential importance of biofluorescence in elasmobranch behavior and biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- David F. Gruber
- Baruch College, City University of New York, Department of Natural Sciences, New York, NY 10010, USA
- City University of New York, The Graduate Center, Program in Biology, New York, NY 10016, USA
- American Museum of Natural History, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Ellis R. Loew
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Dimitri D. Deheyn
- University of California, San Diego, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Derya Akkaynak
- University of Haifa, Charney School of Marine Sciences, Haifa, 3498838, Israel
- Interuniversity Institute of Marine Sciences, Eilat, 88103, Israel
| | - Jean P. Gaffney
- Baruch College, City University of New York, Department of Natural Sciences, New York, NY 10010, USA
| | - W. Leo Smith
- University of Kansas, Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Lawrence, KS 66049, USA
| | - Matthew P. Davis
- St. Cloud State University, Department of Biological Sciences, St. Cloud, MN 56301, USA
| | - Jennifer H. Stern
- University of Kansas, Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Lawrence, KS 66049, USA
| | - Vincent A. Pieribone
- The John B. Pierce Laboratory, Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06519, USA
| | - John S. Sparks
- American Museum of Natural History, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, New York, NY 10024, USA
- American Museum of Natural History, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, Department of Ichthyology, New York, NY 10024, USA
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Marshall J, Carleton KL, Cronin T. Colour vision in marine organisms. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2015; 34:86-94. [PMID: 25725325 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2015.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2015] [Revised: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 02/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Colour vision in the marine environment is on average simpler than in terrestrial environments with simple or no colour vision through monochromacy or dichromacy. Monochromacy is found in marine mammals and elasmobranchs, including whales and sharks, but not some rays. Conversely, there is also a greater diversity of colour vision in the ocean than on land, examples being the polyspectral stomatopods and the many colour vision solutions found among reef fish. Recent advances in sequencing reveal more opsin (visual pigment) types than functionally useful at any one time. This diversity arises through opsin duplication and conversion. Such mechanisms allow pick-and-mix adaptation that tunes colour vision on a variety of very short non-evolutionary timescales. At least some of the diversity in marine colour vision is best explained as unconventional colour vision or as neutral drift.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Marshall
- Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4070, Australia.
| | - Karen L Carleton
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Thomas Cronin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
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Spectral sensitivity, luminous sensitivity, and temporal resolution of the visual systems in three sympatric temperate coastal shark species. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2014; 200:997-1013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-014-0950-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2014] [Revised: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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12
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Schluessel V, Rick IP, Plischke K. No rainbow for grey bamboo sharks: evidence for the absence of colour vision in sharks from behavioural discrimination experiments. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2014; 200:939-47. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-014-0940-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Revised: 09/08/2014] [Accepted: 09/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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