Precise colocalization of interacting structural and pigmentary elements generates extensive color pattern variation in Phelsuma lizards.

• publication
• 09-10-2013

Saenko SV, Teyssier J, van der Marel D, Milinkovitch MC. BMC Biol. 2013 ;11():105. 1741-7007-11-105. 10.1186/1741-7007-11-105. PMC4021644.

Color traits in animals play crucial roles in thermoregulation, photoprotection, camouflage, and visual communication, and are amenable to objective quantification and modeling. However, the extensive variation in non-melanic pigments and structural colors in squamate reptiles has been largely disregarded. Here, we used an integrated approach to investigate the morphological basis and physical mechanisms generating variation in color traits in tropical day geckos of the genus Phelsuma.

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