Measuring and Modelling Structural Colours of Euphaedra neophron (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Finely Tuned by Wing Scale Lower Lamina in Various Subspecies

Author:

Bálint Zsolt12,Katona Gergely1ORCID,Sáfián Szabolcs13ORCID,Collins Steve3,Piszter Gábor2ORCID,Kertész Krisztián2ORCID,Biró László Péter2

Affiliation:

1. Hungarian Natural History Museum, Department of Zoology, Baross utca 13, 1088 Budapest, Hungary

2. Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, Centre for Energy Research, 29-33 Konkoly Thege Miklós St., 1121 Budapest, Hungary

3. African Butterfly Research Institute, P.O. Box 14308, Nairobi 00800, Kenya

Abstract

The nymphalid butterfly Euphaedra neophron (Hopffer, 1855) is the only structurally coloured species representing the genus along the Indian Ocean coast in East Africa and Southern Africa, with a distribution from southern Somalia to the Kwa-Zulu-Natal region of South Africa. The range of E. neophron is subdivided to several, geographically distinct populations, currently recognised as subspecies by taxonomists on the basis of violet, blue, and green-coloured morphs. We investigated the optical mechanism of all these morphs by various materials science techniques. We found that the structural colour is generated by the lower lamina of the cover scales and the different colours are tuned according to their thickness, which was also proved by modelling. The colour tuning of the different subspecies does not reflect any clinal pattern, be it geographical or altitudinal.

Funder

Hungarian Natural History Museum

Centre for Energy Research, Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science

National Research, Development and Innovation Office of Hungary—NKFIH

János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Insect Science

Reference33 articles.

1. Molecular systematics of the subfamily Limenitidinae (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae);Dunghel;PeerJ,2018

2. d’Abrera, B. (2004). Butterflies of the Afrotropical Region. Part II. Nymphalidae, Libytheidae. New and Revised Edition, Hill House Publishers.

3. Larsen, T.B. (2005). The Butterflies of West Africa, Apollo Books.

4. Hecq, J. (1999). Euphaedra, Lambillionea.

5. The nanoanatomical basis of sexual dimorphism in iridescent butterfly colouration;White;Aust. J. Zool.,2012

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3