melanophore

noun

me·​la·​no·​phore mə-ˈla-nə-ˌfȯr 

ˈme-lə-nə-

plural melanophores

: a melanin-containing chromatophore cell especially of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles that is similar to a mammalian melanocyte

Fishes rely on melanins. These compounds, ranging in color from brown to black, are produced in tiny granules called melanosomes; these granules move around within large branching cells called melanophores.

—Joe Levine

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

This organ contains color-changing cells such as melanophores, which either expand or contract according to the background the fish is trying to match, Burgess says. —National Geographic, 13 Aug. 2016

In this period, glass eels lack color-producing cells such as chromatophores and melanophores, says George Burgess, an ichthyologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History. —Liz Langley, National Geographic, 25 Mar. 2017

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Melanophor, from melano- melano- + -phor -phore

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

melanophore

noun

me·​la·​no·​phore mə-ˈlan-ə-ˌfō(ə)r  ˈmel-ə-nə- 

-ˌfȯ(ə)r

: a melanin-containing chromatophore especially of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles that is similar to a mammalian melanocyte

melanophoric

-ˌlan-ə-ˈfōr-ik, -ˈfȯr- 

adjective