Abstract
THE adaptation of colour in anurans to the background is controlled by hormones. Direct innervation of the melanophores is of little or no importance in controlling the degree of dispersion of the melanin-containing granules within the melanophores1. It is generally agreed that a melanin-dispersing hormone is produced in the pars intermedia of the hypophysis and that this hormone, intermedin, is responsible for the darkening of the skin. It is, however, controversial whether the paling upon transfer to a white, illuminated background is due to the disappearance of intermedin from the blood, or to the secretion of a whitening hormone.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hogben, L., and Slome, D., Proc. Roy. Soc., B, 108, 10 (1931). Parker, G. H., “Animal Colour Change and their Neuro-humors” (Cambridge University Press, 1948). Stoppani, A. O. M., Pieroni, P. F., and Murray, A. J., Exp. J. Biol., 31, 631 (1954).
Hogben, L., and Slome, D., Proc. Roy. Soc., B, 120, 158 (1936). Waring, H., and Landgrebe, F. W., in “The Hormones”, 2nd ed. by Pincus, G., 427 (Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1950).
Atwell, W. T., Amer. J. Anat., 68, 191 (1941). Hogben, L., Nature, 149, 695 (1942).
Stoppani, A. O. M., Endocrinol., 30, 782 (1942).
Lerner, A. B., Nature, 184, 674 (1959). Simmonnet, H., Thièblot, L., and Segal, V., Ann. Endocrinol., 13, 340 (1952).
Wright, P. A., Physiol. Zool., 28, 204 (1955).
Etkin, W., J. Exp. Zool., 86, 113 (1941). Rowlands, A., J. Exp. Biol., 31, 151 (1954).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
JøRGENSEN, C., LARSEN, L. Control of Colour Change in Amphibians. Nature 186, 641–642 (1960). https://doi.org/10.1038/186641a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/186641a0
This article is cited by
-
Experimental evidence of inhibitory control of pars intermedia function and the rate of recovery of function after denervation in the teleostIctalurus melas
Experientia (1971)
-
Inversion of differentiation of cells of the pars intermedia of the pituitary
Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (1970)
-
Innervation de l'hypophyse interm�diaire deRana esculenta, et identification des fibres aminergiques par autoradiographie au microscope �lectronique
Zeitschrift f�r Zellforschung und Mikroskopische Anatomie (1970)
-
�ber Synapsen an endokrinen Epithelzellen und die Definition sekretorischer Neurone
Zeitschrift f�r Zellforschung und Mikroskopische Anatomie (1967)
-
The relations between neural and intermediate lobes in the pituitary of Squalus acanthias
Zeitschrift f�r Zellforschung und Mikroskopische Anatomie (1962)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.