Colors · INCREDIBLE INSECTS: A Celebration of Insect Biology

The Importance of Coloration

An insect’s color can have many biological functions. Color patterns can be used to attract mates, hide from predators, establish territories, or ambush prey. Insects have an extraordinarily diverse array of color patterns, but all are produced by two simple mechanisms. Colors are produced in two different ways: by chemical pigments or by microscopic structures on the surface of the insect.

Chemical/Pigment Coloration
Many insect colors are produced by chemical pigments, much like human hair and skin acquires its color. Insects use pigments to produce black, browns, reds, oranges, yellows and some whites as shown in these butterflies and beetles.

Structural Coloration
Structural colors are generated by minute and intricate ridges and valleys on the animal’s exoskeleton that absorb and reflect light of different wavelengths. Blues, greens, and metallic colors are always produced in this way. White and silver can also be the result of structural coloration.

Structural Metallic Coloration
A close-up view of the Madagascan Sunset Moth’s wing, reveals the individual scales used to create brilliant metallic patterns.

Magnified view of Blue Morpho Butterfly’s wing

Structural Coloration in the Blue Morpho Butterfly
Increasing magnification of the blue Morpho butterfly’s wing reveals that its brilliant colors are produced by light reflecting from complex physical structures.

Scanning electron micrograph of the surface of a Morpho scale

A scanning electron micrograph and a 3D print of the surface of a Morpho scale, magnified 10,000 times. The spacing between the parallel ridges is about half the wavelength of blue light so that light reflected from successive ridges experiences constructive interference of blue light while all other wavelengths are scattered and absorbed by brown pigments in the scale.

Examples of iridescent colors on insects

Biologically Inspired Technology
Structural coloration is also used in everyday contexts. Familiar examples include security details on currency and state-issued identification cards, as well as novelties such as children’s hologram stickers.

Ultraviolet Colors
Insects cannot see red but can see ultraviolet as a color.
Some butterflies have brilliant ultraviolet color patterns that we cannot see.
They use these ultraviolet colors to attract mates and for territorial displays among males.

These butterflies have ultraviolet color patterns that are invisible to us but can be detected by some photographic cameras. Dark color mean UV light is absorbed and bright color means UV is reflected.