Light-initiated two component receptor potentials and the transmembrane currents which generate them were recorded from ventral nerve photoreceptors ofLimulus polyphemus using intracellular microelectrodes. The magnitude and temporal separation of the two components could be manipulated by using pairs of light pulses of variable duration, repetition rate and intensity; the optimal values of these parameters for component separation varied among preparations, but two components could be obtained fromall ventral nerve photoreceptors tested.