Abstract
FOR many years it has been believed that the cutaneous pigment cell system of the so-called lower vertebrates—fishes and amphibians—is mainly a dermal one. As an effector system its function is primarily to show aggregated or dispersed melanin in different hormonal situations, and it does not significantly donate pigment to other tissues. On the other hand, the pigment cell system of birds and mammals has been considered to have primarily a cytocrine function, and to be effectively resident in the epidermis and its derivatives. Here the melanocytes function by donating melanin to contiguous epidermal cells in the integumental epidermis, or in the matrix of hairs or the collars of feathers. It is difficult to understand how the presumably dermal pigmentation of the ancestral vertebrates produced the very elegant epidermal system of birds and mammals, and little descriptive work on the reptile pigment cell system has proved of value in this connexion.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
BADEN, H., SZABO, G. & COHEN, J. Cutaneous Melanocyte System of the Indigo Snake Drymarchon corais. Nature 211, 1095 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/2111095a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2111095a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.