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The Colours Of Ophiocomina Nigra (Abildgaard): III. Carotenoid Pigments
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 May 2009
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
- Information
- Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 42 , Issue 1 , February 1962 , pp. 33 - 47
- Copyright
- Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1962
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