Far field scattering pattern of differently structured butterfly scales |
| |
Authors: | M A Giraldo S Yoshioka D G Stavenga |
| |
Institution: | (1) Department of Neurobiophysics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands;(2) Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan |
| |
Abstract: | The angular and spectral reflectance of single scales of five different butterfly species was measured and related to the
scale anatomy. The scales of the pierids Pieris rapae and Delias nigrina scatter white light randomly, in close agreement with Lambert’s cosine law, which can be well understood from the randomly
organized beads on the scale crossribs. The reflectance of the iridescent blue scales of Morpho aega is determined by multilayer structures in the scale ridges, causing diffraction in approximately a plane. The purple scales
in the dorsal wing tips of the male Colotis regina act similarly as the Morpho scale in the blue, due to multilayers in the ridges, but the scattering in the red occurs as in the Pieris scale, because the scales contain beads with pigment that does not absorb in the red wavelength range. The green–yellow scales
of Urania fulgens backscatter light in a narrow spatial angle, because of a multilayer structure in the scale body. |
| |
Keywords: | Single butterfly scale Structural colour Lambertian reflector Scattering Angular reflectance |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|