Colour mixing in wing scales of a butterfly

Vukusic, Peter; Sambles, J. R.; Lawrence, Christopher R.

doi:10.1038/35006561

Cited by 390 publications

(293 citation statements)

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“…Butterflies possess a particularly broad diversity of nanostructural colour production mechanisms (e.g. Ghiradella 1991), with some of the more striking examples including structural 'colour mixing' (Vukusic et al 2000) and three-dimensional photonic crystals (Vukusic & Sambles 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pterin pigments amplify iridescent ultraviolet signal in males of the orange sulphur butterfly,Colias eurytheme

et al. 2005

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Animal colouration is typically the product of nanostructures that reflect or scatter light and pigments that absorb it. The interplay between these colour-producing mechanisms may influence the efficacy and potential information content of colour signals, but this notion has received little empirical attention. Wing scales in the male orange sulphur butterfly (Colias eurytheme) possess ridges with lamellae that produce a brilliant iridescent ultraviolet (UV) reflectance via thin-film interference. Curiously, these same scales contain pterin pigments that strongly absorb wavelengths below 550 nm. Given that male UV reflectance functions as a sexual signal in C. eurytheme, it is paradoxical that pigments in the wing scales are highly UV absorbing. We present spectrophotometric analyses of the wings before and after pterin removal that show that pterins both depress the amplitude of UV iridescence and suppress a diffuse UV reflectance that emanates from the scales. This latter effect enhances the directionality and spectral purity of the iridescence, and increases the signal's chromaticity and potential signal content. Our findings also suggest that pterins amplify the contrast between iridescent UV reflectance and scale background colour as a male's wings move during flight.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pterin pigments amplify iridescent ultraviolet signal in males of the orange sulphur butterfly,Colias eurytheme

et al. 2005

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“…We also show that a conceptual variation to the natural structure leads to enhanced optical properties. Our approach offers improved efficiency, versatility and scalability compared with previous approaches [4][5][6] .The intricate structures found on the wing scales of butterflies are difficult to copy, and it is particularly challenging to mimic the colour mixing effects displayed by P. blumei and P. palinurus 7,8 . The wing scales of these butterflies consist of regularly deformed multilayer stacks that are made from alternating layers of cuticle and air, and they create intense structural colours (Fig.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The intricate structures found on the wing scales of butterflies are difficult to copy, and it is particularly challenging to mimic the colour mixing effects displayed by P. blumei and P. palinurus 7,8 . The wing scales of these butterflies consist of regularly deformed multilayer stacks that are made from alternating layers of cuticle and air, and they create intense structural colours (Fig.…”

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confidence: 99%

Mimicking the colourful wing scale structure of the Papilio blumei butterfly

et al. 2010

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The brightest and most vivid colours in nature arise from the interaction of light with surfaces that exhibit periodic structure on the micro-and nanoscale. In the wings of butterflies, for example, a combination of multilayer interference, optical gratings, photonic crystals and other optical structures gives rise to complex colour mixing. Although the physics of structural colours is well understood, it remains a challenge to create artificial replicas of natural photonic structures [1][2][3] . Here we use a combination of layer deposition techniques, including colloidal self-assembly, sputtering and atomic layer deposition, to fabricate photonic structures that mimic the colour mixing effect found on the wings of the Indonesian butterfly Papilio blumei. We also show that a conceptual variation to the natural structure leads to enhanced optical properties. Our approach offers improved efficiency, versatility and scalability compared with previous approaches [4][5][6] .The intricate structures found on the wing scales of butterflies are difficult to copy, and it is particularly challenging to mimic the colour mixing effects displayed by P. blumei and P. palinurus 7,8 . The wing scales of these butterflies consist of regularly deformed multilayer stacks that are made from alternating layers of cuticle and air, and they create intense structural colours (Fig. 1). Although the P. blumei wing scales have previously been used as a template for atomic layer deposition (ALD) 9 , such an approach is not suitable for accurate replication of the internal multilayer structure on large surface areas.The bright green coloured areas on P. blumei and P. palinurus wings result from a juxtaposition of blue and yellow-green light reflected from different microscopic regions on the wing scales. Light microscopy reveals that these regions are the centres (yellow) and edges (blue) of concavities that are 5-10 mm wide, clad with a perforated cuticle multilayer 7 (Fig. 1d,e). For normal light incidence, the cuticle-air multilayer shows a reflectance peak at a wavelength of l max ¼ 525 nm, which shifts to l max ¼ 477 nm for light incident at an angle of 458. Light from the centre of the cavity is directly reflected, whereas retro-reflection of light incident onto the concavity edges occurs by double reflection off the cavity multilayer (Fig. 1g). This double reflection induces a geometrical polarization rotation 10 . If light that is polarized at an angle c to the initial plane of incidence is retro-reflected by the double bounce, it will pick up a polarization rotation of 2c and the intensity distribution through collinear polarisers is therefore given by cos 2 (2c). This leads to an interesting phenomenon: when placing the sample between crossed polarizers, light reflected off the centres of the cavities is suppressed, whereas retro-reflected light from four segments of the cavity edges is detected 10,11 (Fig. 1d, right). In microstructures without this double reflection, both the colour mixing and polarization conversion are absent...

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“…Individual butterfly scales have been examined in detail to reveal a number of variations in quarter-wave stacks, sometimes in combination with other optical structures, to provide a range of coloured effects (e.g. Ghiradella 1989;Vukusic et al 2000;Kinoshita et al 2002). Butterfly scales are three-dimensional submicrometre structures in their basic form, and this has provided a foundation for evolution to produce the most diverse array of optical devices in any taxon, forming a subject in their own right.…”

Section: (B ) Diffraction Gratingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural photonics for industrial inspiration

Parker

2009

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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There are two considerations for optical biomimetics: the diversity of submicrometre architectures found in the natural world, and the industrial manufacture of these. A review exists on the latter subject, where current engineering methods are considered along with those of the natural cells. Here, on the other hand, I will provide a modern review of the different categories of reflectors and antireflectors found in animals, including their optical characterization. The purpose of this is to inspire designers within the $2 billion annual optics industry.

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Colour mixing in wing scales of a butterfly

Cited by 390 publications

References 4 publications

Pterin pigments amplify iridescent ultraviolet signal in males of the orange sulphur butterfly,Colias eurytheme

Pterin pigments amplify iridescent ultraviolet signal in males of the orange sulphur butterfly,Colias eurytheme

Mimicking the colourful wing scale structure of the Papilio blumei butterfly

Natural photonics for industrial inspiration

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