Melanophore death and disappearance produces color metamorphosis in the polychromatic Midas cichlid (Cichlasoma citrinellum) |
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Authors: | Michael C. Dickman Manfred Schliwa George W. Barlow |
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Affiliation: | (1) Department of Zoology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA;(2) Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, 93106 Santa Barbara, CA, USA |
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Abstract: | Summary We describe the histological basis of color metamorphosis in the polychromatic Midas cichlid, Cichlasoma citrinellum. Eight percent of the individuals in a natural population transform from gray with black markings to orange, simultaneously losing their ability to adjust coloration in response to background and social context. This trait is inherited. Light- and electron microscopy revealed that this transformation is a two-step process. First, the melanophores die, then macrophage-like cells remove the debris. As a result of this initial process, the underlying xanthophores become visible, producing the orange coloration. A similar process may occur in individuals that further transform to white, or go directly from gray to white. |
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Keywords: | Chromatophores Color change Ultrastructure Melanophores Macrophages Xanthophores Cichlasoma citrinellum (Teleostei: Cichlidae) |
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