Illustration from Scientific Research

Dispersed chromatophore pigment suppresses short-wavelength irradiation of SWS1 receptors (left), whereas aggregated pigment permits short-wavelength irradiation (and, therefore, putative opsin activation) of SWS1 receptors (right). The predicted functional significance of dermal photoreception is, therefore, to monitor shifts in chromatophore pigment in order to detect feedback information about color change performance. Illustrated by M.D. Smith. Chromatophores = white cells at the top; SWS1 dermal photoreceptors = gray cells at the bottom.

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