chromatophore

chromatophore
chromatophoric /kreuh mat'euh fawr"ik, -for"ik, kroh"meuh teuh-/, chromatophorous /kroh'meuh tof"euhr euhs/, adj.
/kreuh mat"euh fawr', -fohr', kroh"meuh teuh-/, n.
1. Zool. a cell containing pigment, esp. one that through contraction and expansion produces a temporary color, as in cuttlefishes.
2. Bot. one of the colored plastids in plant cells.
[1860-65; CHROMATO- + -PHORE]

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▪ biological pigment
      pigment-containing cell in the deeper layers of the skin of animals. Depending on the colour of their pigment, chromatophores are termed melanophores (black), erythrophores (red), xanthophores (yellow), or leucophores (white). The distribution of the chromatophores and the pigments they contain determine the colour patterns of an organism.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • chromatophore — ● chromatophore nom masculin Cellule pigmentée du tégument, contribuant à donner leurs couleurs à la peau humaine et aux animaux. ⇒CHROMATOPHORE, CHROMOPHORE, adj. et subst. masc. I. Adj. Qui porte la couleur. Tissu chromatophore (Roussy ds Nouv …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Chromatophore — Chro ma*to*phore , n. [Gr. ?, ?, color + fe rein to bear.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) A contractile cell or vesicle containing liquid pigment and capable of changing its form or size, thus causing changes of color in the translucent skin of such animals as… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chromatophore — chromatophore. См. хроматофор. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • chromatophore — pigment cell, 1864, from chromato , Latinized comb. form of Gk. khroma (gen. khromatos) color (see CHROMA (Cf. chroma)), denoting color or chromatin + Gk. phoros bearing, bearer, from pherein to carry (see INFER (Cf …   Etymology dictionary

  • chromatophore — [krō mat′ə fôr΄, krō′mə tə fôr΄] n. [ CHROMATO + PHORE] 1. a special animal cell, usually dermal, that contains pigment granules: it is often capable of expansion and contraction in such a manner that the skin color changes, as in the chameleon 2 …   English World dictionary

  • Chromatophore — Zebrafish chromatophores mediate background adaptation on exposure to dark (top) and light environments (bottom). Chromatophores are pigment containing and light reflecting cells found in amphibians, fish, reptiles, crustaceans, and cephalopods.… …   Wikipedia

  • Chromatophore — Chromatophores de Poisson zèbre à l obscurité (au dessus) et à la lumière (en dessous). Les chromatophores sont des cellules pigmentaires ou réfléchissant la lumière prése …   Wikipédia en Français

  • chromatophore — a dermal pigment cell; sometimes seen in the epidermis. Aggregation or dispersion of the pigment by expansion or contraction of a circular muscle surrounding an individual chromatophore effects color changes. Chromatophores are of two types,… …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • chromatophore — noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary Date: circa 1859 1. a pigment bearing cell; especially one of the cells of an animal integument capable of causing integumentary color changes by expanding or contracting 2. the organelle of… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Chromatophore — Farbzellen oder Pigmentzellen oder Chromatophoren sind Zellen, die meistens an der Körperoberfläche liegen und Farbpigmente enthalten. Viele Organismen können durch eine Veränderung der Form der Farbzellen oder durch eine Verlagerung der Pigmente …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • chromatophore — n. [Gr. chroma, color; phoreus, bearer] A single highly branched cell or synctia containing pigment granules that may disperse in the branches or concentrate in the center and effect color changes in various invertebrates …   Dictionary of invertebrate zoology

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