Expression patterns of melanin-related genes are linked to crypsis and conspicuousness in a pumpkin toadlet

Color signals play pivotal roles in different communication systems, and the evolution of these characters has been associated with behavioral ecology, integumentary production processes, and perceptual mechanisms of the species involved. Here, we investigated molecular and histological basis of skin color polymorphism within a miniaturized species of pumpkin toadlet. Brachycephalus actaeus exhibits a coloration ranging from cryptic green to conspicuous orange skin. We conduced a high-quality de novo genome assembly (skin samples) for this pumpkin toadlet. We then performed expression pattern analyses to explore coloration-related genes among color morphs. We identified a few number of pigmentation genes that are differentially expressed mainly of them related to melanin synthesis.