Coloration and Structure of the Wings of<i>Chorinea sylphina</i>Bates

Dushkina, Natalia; Erten, Sema; Lakhtakia, Akhlesh

doi:10.18473/lepi.v71i1.a2

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…In our dataset, hair-like scales appear to be almost exclusively found in the Ithomiini tribe, although one erebid species also harbours bristle-like scales. Erected scales (i. e., with a non-flat angle between the scale basis and the wing membrane) have been previously reported in the riodinid Chorinea sylphina (Dushkina, Erten, and Lakhtakia 2017) and in the nymphalid Parantica sita (Perez Goodwyn et al 2009). Here we describe, as Gomez et al (2020, in review) did for the first time, some species with coloured erected scales that are completely perpendicular to the wing membrane, such as in the ithomiine Methona curvifascia.…”

Section: Diversity Of Structures Involved In Transparencymentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Previous studies on a handful of species (most of which are not aposematic) have revealed several, non-mutually exclusive means to achieve transparency, through scale modification or scale shedding, with the effect of reducing the total coverage of the chitin membrane by scales. Scales can fall upon adult emergence (Yoshida et al 1996); they can be reduced (Dushkina, Erten, and Lakhtakia 2017;Perez Goodwyn et al 2009) and even resemble bristle or hair (Binetti et al 2009;Hernández-Chavarría, Hernández, and Sittenfeld 2004;Perez Goodwyn et al 2009;Siddique, Gomard, and Hölscher 2015); they can be either flat on the membrane (Perez Goodwyn et al 2009) or erected (Dushkina, Erten, and Lakhtakia 2017;Perez Goodwyn et al 2009), which also reduces effective membrane coverage by scales.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mimicry drives convergence in structural and light transmission features of transparent wings in Lepidoptera

Pinna

Vilbert²,

Borensztajn

et al. 2020

Preprint

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AbstractMüllerian mimicry is a positive interspecific interaction, whereby co-occurring defended prey species share a common aposematic signal that advertises their defences to predators. In Lepidoptera, aposematic species typically harbour conspicuous opaque wing colour pattern, which have convergent optical properties, as perceived by predators. Surprisingly, some aposematic mimetic species have partially or totally transparent wings, which raises the question of whether optical properties of such transparent areas are also under selection for convergence. To answer this question and to investigate how transparency is achieved in the first place, we conducted a comparative study of optics and structures of transparent wings in neotropical mimetic clearwing Lepidoptera. We quantified transparency by spectrophotometry and characterised clearwing microstructures and nanostructures by microscopy imaging. We show that transparency is convergent among co-mimics in the eyes of predators, despite a large diversity of underlying micro- and nanostructures. Notably, we reveal that nanostructure density largely influences light transmission. While transparency is primarily produced by modification of microstructure features, nanostructures may provide a way to fine-tune the degree of transparency. This study calls for a change of paradigm in transparent mimetic lepidoptera: transparency not only enables camouflage but can also be part of aposematic signals.SignificanceTransparency in animals has long been associated to camouflage, but the existence of aposematic mimetic Lepidoptera with partly transparent wings raises the question of the role of transparency in aposematism. Here, we undertake the first comparative analysis of transparency features in mimetic Lepidoptera. We show that transparency is likely part of the aposematic signal, as light transmission properties are convergent among co-mimics. We also reveal a high diversity of wing structures (scales and wing membrane nanostructures) underlying transparency, which enables fine-tuning the degree of transparency. This study, at the interface between physical optics and evolutionary biology, sheds light on the evolution of transparency in aposematic mimetic lineages and may promote bioinspired applications for transparent materials such as antireflective devices.

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Section: Diversity Of Structures Involved In Transparencymentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mimicry drives convergence in structural and light transmission features of transparent wings in Lepidoptera

Pinna

Vilbert²,

Borensztajn

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The cover and ground scales exhibit structural coloration by diffusely scattering and reflecting light, respectively [ 48 ]. However, some species of butterflies such as those in the genus Greta , have transparent wings for camouflage against predators [ 49 ]. The transparent areas of Greta andromica butterfly wing were previously investigated by bifurcated probe measurement.…”

Section: Overview Of Butterfly Wing Scale Architecturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Butterfly wing architectures inspire sensor and energy applications

Osotsi¹,

Zhang²,

Imran³

et al. 2020

National Science Review

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Natural biological systems are constantly developing efficient mechanisms to counter adverse effects of increasing human population and depleting energy resources. Their intelligent mechanisms are characterized by the ability to detect changes in the environment, store and evaluate information and respond to external stimuli. Bio-inspired replication into manmade functional materials guarantees enhancement of characteristics and performance. Specifically, butterfly architectures have inspired the fabrication of sensor and energy materials by replicating their unique micro/nanostructures, light trapping mechanisms and selective responses to external stimuli. These bio-inspired sensor and energy materials have shown improved performance in harnessing renewable energy, environmental remediation and health monitoring. Therefore, this review highlights recent progress reported on the classification of butterfly wing scale architectures and explores several bio-inspired sensor and energy applications.

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“…Butterflies, and insects more generally, have evolved transparent wings independently multiple times, often with diverse underlying mechanisms (e.g., (Dushkina et al 2017, Watson et al 2017). The wings of most butterflies and moths are semi-translucent when wing scales are removed, but in some cases, there has been selection on transparency to facilitate effective camouflage (Figure 2A (Gomez et al 2020, Johnsen 2001).…”

Section: Masks and Air Filters: Exploring Morphological Adaptationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioinspiration as a method of problem-based STEM education: a case study with the COVID-19 crisis

Snell‐Rood¹,

Cantrell²,

Chapman³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Bioinspiration is a promising lens for biology instruction as it allows the instructor to focus on current pressing problems, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. From social distancing to oxygen stress, organisms have been tackling pandemic-related problems for millions of years. What can we learn from such diverse adaptations in our own applications? We use a seminar course on the COVID-19 crisis to illustrate bioinspiration as an approach to teaching biology content. We highlight three focal areas of the COVID crisis explored in the course (air filtration, medical interventions, and behavioral crises), each of which relates to core content from across biological disciplines (e.g., morphology, physiology, behavior). We also highlight several promising ideas, such as the nanostructure of butterfly wings informing the design of transparent masks. We conclude by stressing that for bio-inspired approaches to succeed, we must invest in basic research and systems that connect scientists across disparate fields.

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Coloration and Structure of the Wings ofChorinea sylphinaBates

Cited by 9 publications

References 37 publications

Mimicry drives convergence in structural and light transmission features of transparent wings in Lepidoptera

Mimicry drives convergence in structural and light transmission features of transparent wings in Lepidoptera

Butterfly wing architectures inspire sensor and energy applications

Bioinspiration as a method of problem-based STEM education: a case study with the COVID-19 crisis

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