Melanotaenia lacustris
4
So I was showing a group of breeders to someone and wanted to take a video for you all to see also just amazing to watch these fish literally pulsate various colors.
"Many species of fishes however can change colour. The changes can be slow or fast. Slow changes of colour (eg breeding colouration) are generally under the control of hormones and are usually semi-permanent. Rapid colour changes (eg stress responses) are largely under control of the nervous system although hormones may also be involved. The colour of fishes can also vary with the seasons, between day and night and even with changes in habitat and food.
M. lacustrisThere are two kinds of cells that give colour to fishes, chromatophores and iridiophores (also called iridocytes). The Chromatophores are located in the dermis of the skin, above or below the scales. They impart true colour (rather than structural colour) and contain black, red, yellow, blue, white (and rarely green) pigment granules called chromatosomes. Only one colour is found in each chromatophore. Colour changes result from chromatosomes concentrating in the centre of the chromatophore or dispersing throughout the cell.
"dominant or spawning male is a sight to behold and a true wonder of nature. His forehead turns a really bright orange in colour and then flashes various shades of blue, green, purple and violet. These colour changes may last up to about 1 second for each shade but continually change whilst the male is spawning which in turn can last for 30 minutes or more. These colours are almost as bright and attractive as a series of neon lights." [Source 2]
Source: http://watershed3.tripod.com/flashes.html
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Whale
Originally Posted by Taurus
