melanophore

American

[muh-lan-uh-fawr, -fohr, mel-uh-nuh-] / məˈlæn əˌfɔr, -ˌfoʊr, ˈmɛl ə nə- /

noun

Biology.

a pigmented connective-tissue cell containing melanin in its cytoplasm, responsible for color changes in many fishes and reptiles.

melanophore Scientific

/ mĕl′ə-nə-fôr′,mə-lăn′ə- /

A pigmented cell that contains melanin, found especially in the skin of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles.

Etymology

Origin of melanophore

First recorded in 1900–05; melano- + -phore

Example Sentences

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melanophore

The smaller frogs were recently metamorphosed as evidenced by the melanophore deposits above the vent.

From A Synopsis of Neotropical Hylid Frogs, Genus Osteocephalus by William E. Duellman

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023