PIGMENTS AND COLOURS 



495 



the case of the demon stinger fish of Japan Inimicus japonicus, which is 

 blackish in colour when living among lava rocks, and bright red when 

 occurring among red algae. The Nassau grouper Epinephelus striates, 

 studied by Longley (55), can assume up to eight different colour schemes 

 which appear and disappear in a few moments (Fig. 11.10). 



Fig. 11.8. Colour Patterns in the Teleost Halichoeres poe diopter us 



(a) Fully mature male; (b) castrated male; (c) fully mature female. (After Kinoshita, 

 1934, 1935.) 



The different colours and patterns assumed during successive stages of 

 the life cycle often bear a definite relation to the various environmental 

 situations in which the animal occurs. Good examples are encountered in 

 all those transparent pelagic larvae whose littoral adults have colours 

 resembling their environment. In pelagic larvae of flat fishes and the 

 leptocephali of eels even the blood is colourless. An interesting case is 

 the opisthobranch Aplysia punctata which changes in colour with age from 



