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Development of Betta splendens embryos and larvae reveals variation in pigmentation patterns

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2015

Alexis N. Carey ,
Benjamin H. Lyvers ,
Rachel N. Ferrill ,
Rachel L. Johnson ,
Anne Marie Dumaine  and
Belinda J. Sly
Alexis N. Carey
Affiliation:
Transylvania University, 300 N. Broadway, Lexington, KY 40508, USA.
Benjamin H. Lyvers
Affiliation:
Transylvania University, 300 N. Broadway, Lexington, KY 40508, USA.
Rachel N. Ferrill
Affiliation:
Transylvania University, 300 N. Broadway, Lexington, KY 40508, USA.
Rachel L. Johnson
Affiliation:
Transylvania University, 300 N. Broadway, Lexington, KY 40508, USA.
Anne Marie Dumaine
Affiliation:
Transylvania University, 300 N. Broadway, Lexington, KY 40508, USA.
Belinda J. Sly*
Affiliation:
Transylvania University, 300 N. Broadway, Lexington, KY 40508, USA.
*
All correspondence to: Belinda J. Sly. Transylvania University, 300 N. Broadway, Lexington, KY 40508, USA. Tel: +1 859 233 8241. Fax: +1 859 233 8171. E-mail: bsly@transy.edu
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Summary

Vertebrate pigmentation provides an ideal system for studying the intersections between evolution, genetics, and developmental biology. Teleost fish, with their accessible developmental stages and intense and diverse colours produced by chromatophores, are an ideal group for study. We set out to test whether Betta splendens is a good model organism for studying the evolution and development of diverse pigmentation. Our results demonstrate that B. splendens can be bred to produce large numbers of offspring with easily visualized pigment cells. Depending on the colour of the parents, there was variation in larval pigmentation patterns both within and between breeding events. In juveniles the developing adult pigmentation patterns showed even greater variation. These results suggest that B. splendens has great potential as a model organism for pigmentation studies.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Zygote , Volume 24 , Issue 3 , June 2016 , pp. 396 - 400
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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