3.22:_Chromatophores

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<p class="lt-bio-4000" style="background-color: unset;">Chromatophores are irregularly shaped, pigment-containing cells. If the pigment is melanin, they are called <strong>melanophores</strong>. Chromatophores are common in crustaceans, cephalopod mollusks, lizards and amphibians, and some fishes.</p>

<figure><img height="159" width="295" class="internal" alt="Close-up of a colorful animal skin pattern with an array of small, irregular dark spots on a bright, textured background." loading="lazy" src="https://bio.libretexts.org/@api/deki/files/6106/Chromatophores.jpg?revision=1" /><figcaption>Figure 3.22.1: Chromatophores in the skin of a squid.  (CC-By-Sa-2.0  <a class="external text" href="http://www.flickr.com/people/7232133@N08" rel="nofollow">Minette</a>) </figcaption></figure>

<p class="lt-bio-4000" style="background-color: unset;">Chromatophores are often used for camouflage. Figure 3.22.1 shows a winter flounder resting on a checkerboard pattern. The chromatophores of cephalopods change size (expand and contract) as a result of activity of muscle fibers and the motor neurons that terminate at them. In crustaceans and amphibians, the chromatophores have a fixed shape. Color change comes about through the dispersal (darkening) or aggregation (lightening) of granules within the cell. This is under hormonal control.</p>

<figure><img class="internal" alt="A flatfish with a spotted pattern lies on a black and white checkerboard surface." loading="lazy" src="https://bio.libretexts.org/@api/deki/files/6105/flounder.jpg?revision=1" /><figcaption>Figure 3.22.2: Chromatopores of a Flounder courtesy of the Field Museum of Natural History</figcaption></figure>

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<hr class="autoattribution-divider" /><div class="autoattribution"><p>This page titled <a target="_blank" class="internal mt-self-link" href="/Sandboxes/johnnyphung/biology/03:_The_Cellular_Basis_of_Life/3.22:_Chromatophores">3.22: Chromatophores</a> is shared under a <a rel="nofollow" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0" target="_blank">CC BY  3.0</a>  license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.biology-pages.info/">John W. Kimball</a> via <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.biology-pages.info/" target="_blank">source content</a> that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.</p></div>

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