Evolution of Insect Iridescence Origins of Three-Dimensional Photonic Crystals in Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea)

• Published in: Integrative and comparative biology Vol. 59; no. 6; pp. 1664 - 1672
• Main Authors: Seago, Ainsley E., Oberprieler, Rolf, Saranathan, Vinod Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.12.2019
• Subjects: Animals; Biological Evolution; Iridescence - physiology; S4 Adaptation and Evolution of Biological Materials; Sensilla - physiology; Sensilla - ultrastructure; Weevils - physiology; Weevils - ultrastructure

A variety of photonic mechanisms give rise to iridescence and other structural colors in insects. In weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea), iridescence is created by the most complex of these mechanisms, the three-dimensional photonic crystal. These self-assembling crystals take the form of triply pe...