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Fig. 10. Fewer metamorphic melanophore precursors in D. nigrofasciatus revealed by in situ hybridization for the melanoblast markers dct (A-F) and tyr (G-L). (A) During the early stages of pigment pattern metamorphosis in D. rerio (e.g. Fig. 3B), primary metamorphic melanophores (arrowhead) differentiate over the middle of each ventral myotome; these and a few unmelanized cells (arrow) stain for dct. (B) The corresponding region in D. nigrofasciatus is devoid of primary metamorphic melanophores and unmelanized dct⁺ cells, although the early larval melanophores located further ventrally are dct⁺ (arrowhead). (C) At middle metamorphic stages in D. rerio (e.g. Fig. 3C,D), unmelanized (arrow) and melanized dct⁺ cells are abundant over the ventral myotome in the vicinity of the ventral primary melanophore stripe. (D) In the corresponding region of D. nigrofasciatus, only melanized cells express detectable levels of dct, even after overdevelopment (data not shown). (E) At middle metamorphic stages in D. rerio, unmelanized dct⁺ melanoblasts (arrow) are abundant in the vicinity of the dorsal primary melanophore stripe. (F) In D. nigrofasciatus, unmelanized dct⁺ cells (arrow) are infrequent compared with D. rerio, although a few are present and differentiate as melanophores (arrowhead), showing melanin in addition to dct staining. (G-L) Staining for tyr expression is similar to staining for dct. Shown are similar stages and positions to the corresponding panels in A-F. Scale bars: 100 µm for A,B,G,H; 40 µm for C-F,I-L.

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