Developmental and Cellular Basis of Vertical Bar Color Patterns in the East African Cichlid Fish Haplochromis latifasciatus.

ABSTRACT: The East African adaptive radiations of cichlid fishes are renowned for their diversity in coloration. Yet, the developmental basis of pigment pattern formation remains largely unknown. One of the most common melanic patterns in cichlid fishes are vertical bar patterns. Here we describe the ontogeny of this conspicuous pattern in the Lake Kyoga species Haplochromis latifasciatus. Beginning with the larval stages we tracked the formation of this stereotypic color pattern and discovered that its macroscopic appearance is largely explained by an increase in melanophore density and accumulation of melanin during the first 3 weeks post-fertilization. The embryonal analysis is complemented with cytological quantifications of pigment cells in adult scales and the dermis beneath the scales. In adu

SUBMITTER: Liang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7026194 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature