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The Colours Of Ophiocomina Nigra (Abildgaard): III. Carotenoid Pigments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

A. R. Fontaine
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy, Oxfordcor1corresp
*

Extract

The red to orange-yellow colours of the ophiuroid, Ophiocomina nigra, are due to carotenoid pigments contained in specialized lipocytes. These cells are dendritic, with their cell bodies located in the dermis below a melanocyte layer and with dendrites approaching, but not penetrating, the epidermis. The lipocytes are either yellow or orange-red.

Five principal pigments were detected in addition to two minor constituents, at least one of which may be an artifact. These major pigments are: β-carotene, an acid carotenoid similar to mytiloxanthin, and four xanthophylls of uncertain identity.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1962

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