Abstract
The effect of stress and of adrenaline injections on the chromatophores of Hyla cinerea and Hyla arborea was studied by means of reflectance spectrophotometry of the dorsal skin in vivo. The color of H. cinerea is affected in different ways by stress and adrenaline. Stress causes a decrease in lightness, has no effect on hue and purity of the color, causes an aggregation of xanthophore pigment, a dispersion of melanin, and a decreased reflectivity of the iridophores. Adrenaline causes an increase in lightness, hue, and purity of the color, a dispersion of xanthophore pigment, and an aggregation of melanin, while the iridophores are not affected. In H. arborea stress and adrenaline have almost the same effect, the only exception being that adrenaline causes an increase in lightness, while stress apparently has no effect. Both factors cause an increase in hue and purity, a dispersion of xanthophore pigment, an aggregation of melanin, and a decreased reflectivity of the iridophores. It is concluded that stress causes changes in the chromatophores of H. cinerea by means of a factor different from adrenaline, while the changes in H. arborea might well be caused by this hormone.
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