CIL:27229, Fundulus heteroclitus, scale. In Cell Image Library

Collagen fibrils and mineralization in the external layer of Fundulus heteroclitus scale. The external layer is the second of three layers closest to the dermis of an elasmoid. It is composed of thin collagen fibrils about 30nm in diameter, which are organized in a loose meshwork. This layer is the first layer to be formed and mineralized. This mineralization is visible in the extracellular material surrounding the collagen fibrils where mineral deposits in the form of needle-like crystals identified to most likely be hydroxyapatite can be found.