The Occurrence of Guanophores in Fundulus

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Though F. heteroclitus has been the subject of numerous investigations dealing with the phenomena of color change it possesses chromatophores which have apparently been overlooked almost entirely. It seems clear that they are guanophores similar to those already described in other fishes, though they should not be confused with the iridescent iridocytes which also contain guanin. The guanophores appear silvery white by reflected light and dull yellowish gray by transmitted light. They are found beneath the melanophores of the deeper layer for the most part, though they also occur below those of the upper layer, and elsewhere. The reactions of the guanophores to various stimuli (backgrounds, adrenalin, antuitrin) have so far been found to be just opposite to those of the melanophores, a fact which shows clearly that the chromatophores of this fish are far from being physiologically alike and that their behavior is decidedly "adaptive.".

This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit: