Similarities in how different organisms look can indicate a close evolutionary relationship. Conversely, great differences in appearance can suggest a very distant relationship, as in many adult ...

Visual signals, such as color patterns are an important communication medium for anemonefish. Researchers from Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology have recently elucidated how the patterns on ...

The genetic underpinnings of pigmentation and colour patterning in fish encompass a complex interplay of gene regulation, cell fate determination and evolutionary innovation. Neural crest cells, which ...

Scientists have solved the mystery of why some closely-related species of an iconic reef fish have vastly different colour patterns, while others look very similar. Scientists have solved the mystery ...

Fish color varies based on fish age, spawning season and water conditions (turbid vs. clear, warm vs cold, etc.). For these reasons, fish biologists and ichthyologists rely on meristics, which are ...

Deep-diving fish have a problem: The only light that penetrates their watery environment is blue and green — hardly enough of a palette for flashy color patterns. Now, a new study reveals these fishes ...

How the leopard got its spots and the zebra its stripes might not be just-so stories much longer. Biologists are beginning to pinpoint the molecular mechanisms animals use to deck themselves out with ...

Similarities in how different organisms look can indicate a close evolutionary relationship. Conversely, great differences in appearance can suggest a very distant relationship, as in many adult ...