Transmission through muscle tissue shapes polarization signals during cuttlefish courtship

This dataset represents analyses of how birefringent arm muscles shape polarization-based courtship signals in male Doratosepion andreanum, pairing the revised manuscript and SI for context with all raw and  processed inputs needed to recreate the figures and extended data.

Optic measurement quantify AoLP/DoLP across arm regions and wavelengths, and map how transmitted light rotates relative to background illumination. Pixel-wise polarimetry maps capture the spatial mosaic of AoLP/DoLP in displaying arms, and birefringence model fits report individual optical parameters and contributions of different optical mechanism. The accompanying R workflow converts polarization images into AoLP/DoLP fields and interneuron activity estimates, enabling direct reuse or extension to new datasets.

In this study, we show that transparent muscle tissue in cuttlefish can actively shape visual signals for courtship by modulating light polarization—the orientation of light wave oscillation. Using photo-polarimetry, we reveal that sexually ornamented cuttlefish arms display a spatial pattern of horizontal and vertical polarization. This enhances visual contrast optimally for cuttlefish polarization vision. The pattern arises from light transmission across a birefringent muscle layer that rotates the angle of polarization.