The Blue Coloration of the Common Surgeonfish, Paracanthurus hepatus-I. Morphological Features of Chromatophores

概要

論文の詳細を見る
In order to elucidate the mechanism by which the characteristic blue hues of the common surgeonfish, Paracanthurus hepatus (Acanthuridae), are generated, a histological and fine-structural examination was made on the integument. Under the epidermis of the sky blue portions of the skin, round iridophores without dendritic processes were compactly arranged in a double layer, which was lined by a single layer of melanophores. The configuration of each iridophore was very similar to that of the iridophores in the dermis of brilliantly blue-colored damselfish (Pomacentridae). In the cytoplasm, stacks of very thin light-reflecting platelets were arranged with their axes disposed radially from the apical part of the cell. In the dark blue region, by contrast, iridophores were found only rarely. These results indicate that the characteristic sky blue of the species may be dependent on the organized and double-layered arrangement of such light-reflecting cells. It seems likely that a multilayered thin-film interference phenomenon of the non-ideal type, occurring in the stacks of reflecting platelets, is primarily responsible for the generation of the blue hues. Iridophores of this type in the surgeonfish are the first to be found in a species that belongs to a family other than Pomacentridae.
社団法人日本動物学会の論文
1994-08-15