Colour variation within a species
This page is for messages concerned with the question of colour variation within a species. There are many different types of intraspecific (within a species) colour variation. For example, in some species the juveniles seem to be much more lightly pigmented than the adults. In other species, pigments from their food are reused to create a camouflage colouration, so individuals within the same species can differ in colour depending on the colour of their food. Apart from these special examples, all individuals within a species show some colour variation, just as we do. However we need to know what the limits of this variation are so that we can, where possible, identify species from their colour pattern.
All aspects of this variation will be discussed below.
Authorship detailsRudman, W.B., 2000 (May 8) Colour variation within a species. [In] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/factsheet/colourvar
