Vision in alciopids, worms with eyes ten-times the size of their head

Despite vision being a superior sense in terms of speed, directional information and level of detail, high resolution vision has only been proven in 3 out of 35 animal phyla: vertebrates, arthropods, and mollusks (cephalopods). On a set of field trips we will test the hypothesis that a 4. Group of animals, a family of pelagic worms, has similar visual capabilities. If successful, we will not only advance our knowledge on the evolution of eyes and vision, we will also shed light on what role vision plays in the life of these enigmatic and charismatic worms with eyes 10 times the size of their heads.