1) A pigment-bearing cell. One of the cells of an animal possessing the ability to change colors by expanding or contracting. 2) The photosynthetic organelle in blue-green algae.
Pigment-containing cells within the dermis of fish and amphibians.
pigment cell. Congenital - present at or before birth, not necessarily inherited.
a branched cell, within which the color pigment can be moved
An organelle that contains pigments; i.e. a plastid
a pigment cell that contracts and expands to produce immediate color changes in an organism.
Gr. chromatos - the surface of the body, the colour of the skin surface, colour; Gr. phoros - bearing]. A pigment containing cell. These are located in the dermis of the skin as well as in other locations in the body.
Chromatophores are pigment-containing and light-reflecting cells found in amphibians, fish, reptiles, crustaceans, and cephalopods. They are largely responsible for generating skin and eye colour in cold-blooded animals and are generated in the neural crest during embryonic development. Mature chromatophores are grouped into subclasses based on their colour (more properly "hue") under white light: xanthophores (yellow), erythrophores (red), iridophores (reflective / iridescent), leucophores (white), melanophores (black/brown) and cyanophores (blue).
