Summary
Two populations of iridophores are responsible for the iridescent color of the squids Loligo pealii and Loligo opalescens. The superficial group, the short iridophores, underlie the chromatophores and are associated with muscle cells of the skin. The long iridophores, a deeper-lying group, are arranged in a dense sheet. The ultrastructure of iridophores was described, including iridosomes, iridosomal platelets and iridosomal tubules. The observations were discussed in terms of adaptive coloration in these animals.
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Part of a study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Ph. D. (Anatomy), the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, New York Medical College, New York, N.Y. 10029.
The research reported here was in part supported by grants from the Health Research Council of the City of New York (U-1008) and United States Public Health Service, General Research Grant No. FR-05398.
Report on some of this material was given at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Anatomists, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 19–22, 1971.
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Mirow, S. Skin color in the squids Loligo pealii and Loligo opalescens . Z.Zellforsch 125, 176–190 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00306787
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00306787