Clathrus ruber of the mature fruit bodies have been identified as carotenes, predominantly lycopene and "beta"-carotene—the same compounds responsible for the red and orange colors of tomatoes and carrots, respectively. Lycopene is also the main pigment in the closely related fungus "Clathrus archeri", while "beta"-carotene is the predominant pigment in the Phallaceae species "Mutinus caninus", "M. ravenelii", and "M. elegans". Clathrus ruber Clathrus ruber is a species of fungus in the stinkhorn family, and the type species of the genus "Clathrus". It is commonly known as the latticed stinkhorn, the basket stinkhorn, or the red cage, alluding to the striking fruit bodies
Pigment dispersing factor Pigment dispersing factor Pigment dispersing factor (pdf) is a gene that encodes the protein PDF, which is part of a large family of neuropeptides. Its hormonal product, pigment dispersing hormone (PDH), was named for the diurnal pigment movement effect it has in crustacean retinal cells upon its initial discovery in the central nervous system of arthropods. The movement and aggregation of pigments in retina cells and extra-retinal cells is hypothesized to be under a split hormonal control mechanism. One hormonal set is responsible for concentrating chromatophoral pigment by responding to changes in the organism's exposure time to darkness. Another hormonal