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Thank a Genius
Created: 2011-12-25
Updated: 2011-12-25

Body surfaces reflect light to create colors: jewel beetles


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Slide_show_arrows  1 of 2 Carabus splendens / Isidro MartÃ.. / LicenseCC-by-nc-sa - Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike

The body surfaces of jewel beetles and other beetles create colors by reflecting lights at different wavelengths.

Biomimicry Taxonomy
 
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Taxonomy_3 Light/color
Biomimetic Application Ideas
 
Structural colors for clothing, vehicles, paints.

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[Collapse all sections] Summary
"The Buprestid beetles…as well as many ground-beetles (Carabidae), are different again in that the body surface producing the colour is hardened and quite permanent and sculptured into subtly varying shapes that reflect light at different wavelengths - blue, purple, green, bronze, silver and gold. The purple flush on the elytra of the ground-beetle, Carabus violaceus, is due to this cause, as are the metallic marks on various butterfly pupae." (Wootton 1984:140)
About the inspiring organism
Med_2928098787_6ecbc76e13_o Buprestidae
Buprestidae


Organism/taxonomy data provided by:
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist
Bioinspired products and application ideas

Application Ideas: Structural colors for clothing, vehicles, paints.

Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Manufacturing

References
Wootton, A. 1984. Insects of the World. Blandford. 224 p.
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