Colour change and visual cues in the sand flathead, Platycephalus arenarius (Ramsay and Ogilby)

This study investigates cryptic coloration and the phenomenon of colour change in the sand flathead, Platycephalus arenarius (Ramsay and Ogilby), a shallow‐water marine species. The chromatophore configurations of the dorsal integument are described and the responses to a range of artificial backgrounds studied. Certain visual cues used by this species in colour change are deduced, and the existence of a linear relationship between the shade of the integument and that of the background is proposed.