Posted by:
DMong
at Tue Dec 29 11:15:22 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by DMong ]
Something to go along with the other posts here so some folks may better understand certain chromatophore's roles.
There's been a big misunderstanding of the dynamics of these two terms for many years, and the exact role each chromatophore plays.
The chromatophores known as Xanthophores are responsible for producing red AND yellow pigments known as pteridines. These may vary in color from pure yellow to pure red, and any intermediate shades of the two.Xanthophores possess a predominantly red coloration, and are referred to as "erythrophores".
Xanthophores also retain yellow to reddish pigments contained in the diet in the form of carotenoids. Carotenoid retention continues throughout life, and the intensity of this pigmentation can vary greatly depending on the types and quantity of carotenoids contained in the diet. Also, the animal's genetic predisposition towards the ability to store these carotenoids will ultimately affect the animal's appearance a great deal. A very good example of this would be the high-yellow strain of amel nelsoni that is in the hobby, where it gains yellow pigmentation as it matures, and does not have this apperance when first hatched from the egg.
The anerythristic Honduran milk is a great example of xanthophores, and their tandem role in affecting both the red AND yellow pigment of the animal, as they are basically anerythristic and axanthic at the same time.
Still many weird combinations of things we don't really fully understand. And even though certain terms are often used interchangably, there can be very different things going on genetic-wise.
The information I gave here was meant to go along with what you gave to help people understand the dynamics of these chromatophores a bit better.
~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing" 
my website -serpentinespecialties.webs.com
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RE: Anery vs. axanthic? - DMong, Tue Dec 29 11:15:22 2009