Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica
SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE TO PREMIUM
  • Home
  • Biographies
  • Animals & Nature
  • History & Society
  • Science & Tech
  • Geography & Travel
  • Arts & Culture
  • ProCon
  • Money
  • Games & Quizzes
  • Videos
  • Today in History
  • Dictionary
  • New Articles
Biographies
  • Browse Biographies
Animals & Nature
  • Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
  • Environment
  • Fossils & Geologic Time
  • Insects & Other Invertebrates
  • Mammals
  • Plants
History & Society
  • History
  • Philosophy & Religion
  • Politics, Law & Government
  • Society & Social Issues
Science & Tech
  • Health & Medicine
  • Science
  • Technology
Geography & Travel
  • Geography & Travel
Arts & Culture
  • Entertainment & Pop Culture
  • Literature
  • Sports & Recreation
  • Visual Arts
  • Image Galleries
  • Podcasts
  • Summaries
  • Top Questions
  • Lists and Stories
  • Britannica Kids
Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
iridocyte
References
Videos
How chameleons change color—and why
Britannica AI Icon

iridocyte

biology
Also known as: guanophore, iridophore
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  EncyclopƦdia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Learn about this topic in these articles:

  • Greater blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata)
    blue-ringed octopus
    / Description and distribution

    …the skin are structures called iridophores, which strongly reflect blue-green light and hence are responsible for Hapalochlaena species’ bright iridescent blue rings or stripes. These nonpigmented structures, which consist mainly of stacked thin platelets, lie atop the chromatophores, heightening the rings’ or stripes’ contrast with the chromatophores’ dark brown background.…

    Read More

    …the skin are structures called iridophores, which strongly reflect blue-green light and hence are responsible for Hapalochlaena species’ bright iridescent blue rings or stripes. These nonpigmented structures, which consist mainly of stacked thin platelets, lie atop the chromatophores, heightening the rings’ or stripes’ contrast with the chromatophores’ dark brown background.…

    Read More