scholarly journals Classical lepidopteran wing scale colouration in the giant butterfly-moth Paysandisia archon

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doekele G. Stavenga ◽  
Hein L. Leertouwer ◽  
Andrej Meglič ◽  
Kazimir Drašlar ◽  
Martin F. Wehling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Visual Signals ◽  
Wing Colour ◽  
White Spots ◽  
Wing Scale ◽  
Thin Film Interference ◽  
Scale Types ◽  
Wing Scales

The palm borer moth Paysandisia archon (Castniidae; giant butterfly-moths) has brown dorsal forewings and strikingly orange-coloured dorsal hindwings with white spots surrounded by black margins. Here, we have studied the structure and pigments of the wing scales in the various coloured wing areas, applying light and electron microscopy and (micro)spectrophotometry, and we analysed the spatial reflection properties with imaging scatterometry. The scales in the white spots are unpigmented, those in the black and brown wing areas contain various amounts of melanin, and the orange wing scales contain a blue-absorbing ommochrome pigment. In all scale types, the upper lamina acts as a diffuser and the lower lamina as a thin film interference reflector, with thickness of about 200 nm. Scale stacking plays an important role in creating the strong visual signals: the colour of the white eyespots is created by stacks of unpigmented blue scales, while the orange wing colour is strongly intensified by stacking the orange scales.

scholarly journals Coloration principles of the Great purple emperor butterfly (Sasakia charonda)

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doekele G. Stavenga ◽  
Hein L. Leertouwer ◽  
Kentaro Arikawa
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Film Properties ◽  
Microscopy Imaging ◽  
Orange Yellow ◽  
White Spots ◽  
Sasakia Charonda ◽  
Scale Types ◽  
Wing Scales ◽  
Optical Basis

AbstractThe dorsal wings of male Sasakia charonda butterflies display a striking blue iridescent coloration, which is accentuated by white, orange-yellow and red spots, as well as by brown margins. The ventral wings also have a variegated, but more subdued, pattern. We investigated the optical basis of the various colors of intact wings as well as isolated wing scales by applying light and electron microscopy, imaging scatterometry and (micro)spectrophotometry. The prominent blue iridescence is due to scales with tightly packed, multilayered ridges that contain melanin pigment. The scales in the brown wing margins also contain melanin. Pigments extracted from the orange-yellow and red spots indicate the presence of 3-OH-kynurenine and ommochrome pigment. The scales in the white spots also have multilayered ridges but lack pigment. The lower lamina of the scales plays a so-far undervalued but often crucial role. Its thin-film properties color the majority of the ventral wing scales, which are unpigmented and have large windows. The lower lamina acting as a thin-film reflector generally contributes to the reflectance of the various scale types.

scholarly journals FINE STRUCTURAL OBSERVATIONS RELATING TO THE PRODUCTION OF COLOR BY THE IRIDOPHORES OF A LIZARD, ANOLIS CAROLINENSIS

1972 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susannah T. Rohrlich ◽  
Keith R. Porter
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Structural Data ◽  
Anolis Carolinensis ◽  
Dorsal Skin ◽  
Green Color ◽  
Structural Details ◽  
Thin Film Interference ◽  
Crystal Arrangement

This paper presents the results of light and electron microscopy done on iridophores in the dorsal skin of the lizard Anolis carolinensis. New fine-structural details are revealed, and their importance is discussed. Of some interest is the complex of filaments between crystalline sheets in the cell. It is proposed that this complex is involved in the arrangement of crystals into crystalline sheets, and that the crystal arrangement and spacing are critical for the production of the cells' blue-green color. Tyndall scattering and thin-film interference are discussed as possible explanations for iridophore color production in relation to the fine-structural data obtained.

Microscale Radiative Effects in Complex Microstructures of Iridescent Butterfly Wing Scales

1997 ◽  
Vol 489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haruna Tada ◽  
Seth E. Mann ◽  
Ioannis N. Miaoulis ◽  
Peter Y. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Numerical Modeling ◽  
Experimental Investigations ◽  
Butterfly Wing ◽  
Radiative Effects ◽  
Cellular Microstructure ◽  
Cellular Development ◽  
Optical Phenomena ◽  
Thin Film Interference ◽  
Wing Scales

AbstractThe cellular microstructure of insect scales can be detailed intricately with threedimensional structures and multiple thin-film layers. In butterflies, iridescent scales can reflect bright colors through thin-film interference and other optical phenomena; the balance of radiation is absorbed for thermoregulatory purposes. Results of numerical and experimental investigations into the function, properties, and structure of these scales are presented. Of particular interest are the numerical modeling of the microscale radiative effects in the scales, determining the optical properties of the biological material, and the cellular development of thin-film structures.

scholarly journals Thin-film structural coloration from simple fused scales in moths

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 20180044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cédric Kilchoer ◽  
Ullrich Steiner ◽  
Bodo D. Wilts
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Incident Light ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Structural Coloration ◽  
Scale Thickness ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Wing Scale ◽  
Wing Patterns ◽  
Colour Changes ◽  
Wing Scales

The metallic coloration of insects often originates from diverse nanostructures ranging from simple thin films to complex three-dimensional photonic crystals. In Lepidoptera, structural coloration is widely present and seems to be abundant in extant species. However, even some basal moths exhibit metallic coloration. Here, we have investigated the origin of the vivid metallic colours of the wing scales of the basal moth Micropterix aureatella by spectrophotometry and scanning electron microscopy. The metallic gold-, bronze- and purple-coloured scales share a similar anatomy formed of a fused lower and upper lamina resulting in a single thin film. The optical response of this thin-film scale can be attributed to thin-film interference of the incident light, resulting in the colour variations that correlate with film thickness. Subtle variations in the wing scale thickness result in large visible colour changes that give Micropterix moths their colourful wing patterns. This simple coloration mechanism could provide a hint to understand the evolution of structural coloration in Lepidoptera.

scholarly journals Wing scale ultrastructure underlying convergent and divergent iridescent colours in mimetic Heliconius butterflies

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (141) ◽  
pp. 20170948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Parnell ◽  
James E. Bradford ◽  
Emma V. Curran ◽  
Adam L. Washington ◽  
Gracie Adams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Species Differences ◽  
Viewing Angle ◽  
Optical Phenomenon ◽  
Avian Vision ◽  
Structural Colour ◽  
Wing Scale ◽  
Colour Changes ◽  
Scale Structures ◽  
Thin Film Interference

Iridescence is an optical phenomenon whereby colour changes with the illumination and viewing angle. It can be produced by thin film interference or diffraction. Iridescent optical structures are fairly common in nature, but relatively little is known about their production or evolution. Here we describe the structures responsible for producing blue-green iridescent colour in Heliconius butterflies. Overall the wing scale structures of iridescent and non-iridescent Heliconius species are very similar, both having longitudinal ridges joined by cross-ribs. However, iridescent scales have ridges composed of layered lamellae, which act as multilayer reflectors. Differences in brightness between species can be explained by the extent of overlap of the lamellae and their curvature as well as the density of ridges on the scale. Heliconius are well known for their Müllerian mimicry. We find that iridescent structural colour is not closely matched between co-mimetic species. Differences appear less pronounced in models of Heliconius vision than models of avian vision, suggesting that they are not driven by selection to avoid heterospecific courtship by co-mimics. Ridge profiles appear to evolve relatively slowly, being similar between closely related taxa, while ridge density evolves faster and is similar between distantly related co-mimics.

The coloration of Papilio zalmoxis and P. antimachus , and the discovery of Tyndall blue in butterflies

1976 ◽  
Vol 193 (1113) ◽  
pp. 441-453 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Fluorescent Pigment ◽  
Colour Changes ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Thin Film Interference ◽  
First Time ◽  
Scanning Electron ◽  
Wing Scales

The ultrastructure and colour of the wing scales of Papilio zalmoxis were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy and spectrophotometry. The colour of the blue scales was found to be mainly of structural origin, due in part to Tyndall scattering by a layer of air-filled alveoli and in part to thin film interference in a basement lamella. A white, fluorescent pigment, probably composed mainly of kynurenine, lines the alveoli, and contributes to the colour principally by virtue of its absorption of ultraviolet radiation. Males and females possess these blue scales, but the overall colour they produce in the wing depends on the distribution of underlying black scales, and this differs between the sexes. The female of this species is figured in colour for the first time. The apparent polymorphism of preserved males was examined and it is concluded, with some reservations regarding the brown form, to be due to post-mortem colour changes. The nature of the coloration and the sexual dimorphism of P. antimachus are described. The sexual dimorphism of both species is discussed.

The Morphology of Vacuolated Cells in the Liver Following Administration of Vitamin A.

1973 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 408-409
Author(s):  
Odell T. Minick ◽  
Hidejiro Yokoo ◽  
Fawzia Batti
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Liver Cells ◽  
Prominent Feature ◽  
Vascular Space ◽  
Vacuolated Cell ◽  
Vacuolated Cells ◽  
Vacuolated Cytoplasm

Vacuolated cells in the liver of young rats were studied by light and electron microscopy following the administration of vitamin A (200 units per gram of body weight). Their characteristics were compared with similar cells found in untreated animals.In rats given vitamin A, cells with vacuolated cytoplasm were a prominent feature. These cells were found mostly in a perisinusoidal location, although some appeared to be in between liver cells (Fig. 1). Electron microscopy confirmed their location in Disse's space adjacent to the sinusoid and in recesses between liver cells. Some appeared to be bordering the lumen of the sinusoid, but careful observation usually revealed a tenuous endothelial process separating the vacuolated cell from the vascular space. In appropriate sections, fenestrations in the thin endothelial processes were noted (Fig. 2, arrow).

Control of Autogenous Vein Grafts Prior to Reimplantation, By Electron Microscopy

1972 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 106-107
Author(s):  
John H. L. Watson ◽  
John L. Swedo ◽  
M. Vrandecic
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Physiological Saline ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Vein Grafts ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
Saphenous Veins ◽  
Autogenous Vein ◽  
Control Of Parameters ◽  
Post Implantation

The ambient temperature and the nature of the storage fluids may well have significant effects upon the post-implantation behavior of venus autografts. A first step in the investigation of such effects is reported here. Experimental conditions have been set which approximate actual operating room procedures. Saphenous veins from dogs have been used as models in the experiments. After removal from the dogs the veins were kept for two hours under four different experimental conditions, viz at either 4°C or 23°C in either physiological saline or whole canine arterial blood. At the end of the two hours they were prepared for light and electron microscopy. Since no obvious changes or damage could be seen in the veins by light microscopy, even with the advantage of tissue specific stains, it was essential that the control of parameters for successful grafts be set by electron microscopy.

Ultrastructure of two neoplasms in culture compared with original biopsies

1984 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 50-51
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Harb ◽  
James T. Casper ◽  
Vlcki Piaskowski
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Tissue Culture ◽  
Biopsy Specimen ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Human Tumor ◽  
Soft Agar ◽  
Human Tumor Cells ◽  
Morphological Distinction ◽  
Tumor Types

The application of tissue culture and the newer methodologies of direct cloning and colony formation of human tumor cells in soft agar hold promise as valuable modalities for a variety of diagnostic studies, which include morphological distinction between tumor types by electron microscopy (EM). We present here two cases in which cells in culture expressed distinct morphological features not apparent in the original biopsy specimen. Evaluation of the original biopsies by light and electron microscopy indicated both neoplasms to be undifferentiated sarcomas. Colonies of cells propagated in soft agar displayed features of rhabdomyoblasts in one case, and cultured cells of the second biopsy expressed features of Ewing's sarcoma.

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