Damsels in Disguise: Development of Ultraviolet Sensitivity and Colour Patterns in Damselfishes (Pomacentridae).

ABSTRACT: Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) are widespread and highly abundant on tropical coral reefs. They exhibit diverse body colouration within and between the ~250 species and across ontogenetic stages. In addition to human-visible colours (i.e., 400-700 nm), most adult damselfishes reflect ultraviolet (UV, 300-400 nm) colour patches. UV sensitivity and UV colour signals are essential for feeding and form the basis for a secret communication channel invisible to the many UV-blind predatory fish on the reef; however, how these traits develop across ontogenetic stages and their distribution across the damselfish family is poorly characterised. Here, we used UV photography, phylogenetic reconstructions of opsin genes, and differential gene expression analysis (DGE) of retinal samples to investigate th

SUBMITTER: Tettamanti V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11874681 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature