Cryptic iridescence in a fossil weevil generated by single diamond photonic crystals

Typeset version

 

TY  - JOUR
  - McNamara, ME,Saranathan, V,Locatelli, ER,Noh, H,Briggs, DEG,Orr, PJ,Cao, H
  - 2014
  - November
  - Journal Of The Royal Society Interface
  - Cryptic iridescence in a fossil weevil generated by single diamond photonic crystals
  - Validated
  - Altmetric: 4 ()
  - fossil colour structural colour Coleoptera iridescence photonic crystals photonic bandgap materials BUTTERFLY WING SCALES STRUCTURAL COLOR BEETLES SCATTERING DIVERSIFICATION NANOSTRUCTURES COLEOPTERA ORDER
  - 11
  - Nature's most spectacular colours originate in integumentary tissue architectures that scatter light via nanoscale modulations of the refractive index. The most intricate biophotonic nanostructures are three-dimensional crystals with opal, single diamond or single gyroid lattices. Despite intense interest in their optical and structural properties, the evolution of such nanostructures is poorly understood, due in part to a lack of data from the fossil record. Here, we report preservation of single diamond (Fd-3m) three-dimensional photonic crystals in scales of a 735 000 year old specimen of the brown Nearctic weevil Hypera diversipunctata from Gold Run, Canada, and in extant conspecifics. The preserved red to green structural colours exhibit near-field brilliancy yet are inconspicuous from afar; they most likely had cryptic functions in substrate matching. The discovery of pristine fossil examples indicates that the fossil record is likely to yield further data on the evolution of three-dimensional photonic nanostructures and their biological functions.
  - 10.1098/rsif.2014.0736
DA  - 2014/11
ER  - 
@article{V279269139,
   = {McNamara,  ME and Saranathan,  V and Locatelli,  ER and Noh,  H and Briggs,  DEG and Orr,  PJ and Cao,  H },
   = {2014},
   = {November},
   = {Journal Of The Royal Society Interface},
   = {Cryptic iridescence in a fossil weevil generated by single diamond photonic crystals},
   = {Validated},
   = {Altmetric: 4 ()},
   = {fossil colour structural colour Coleoptera iridescence photonic crystals photonic bandgap materials BUTTERFLY WING SCALES STRUCTURAL COLOR BEETLES SCATTERING DIVERSIFICATION NANOSTRUCTURES COLEOPTERA ORDER},
   = {11},
   = {{Nature's most spectacular colours originate in integumentary tissue architectures that scatter light via nanoscale modulations of the refractive index. The most intricate biophotonic nanostructures are three-dimensional crystals with opal, single diamond or single gyroid lattices. Despite intense interest in their optical and structural properties, the evolution of such nanostructures is poorly understood, due in part to a lack of data from the fossil record. Here, we report preservation of single diamond (Fd-3m) three-dimensional photonic crystals in scales of a 735 000 year old specimen of the brown Nearctic weevil Hypera diversipunctata from Gold Run, Canada, and in extant conspecifics. The preserved red to green structural colours exhibit near-field brilliancy yet are inconspicuous from afar; they most likely had cryptic functions in substrate matching. The discovery of pristine fossil examples indicates that the fossil record is likely to yield further data on the evolution of three-dimensional photonic nanostructures and their biological functions.}},
   = {10.1098/rsif.2014.0736},
  source = {IRIS}
}
AUTHORSMcNamara, ME,Saranathan, V,Locatelli, ER,Noh, H,Briggs, DEG,Orr, PJ,Cao, H
YEAR2014
MONTHNovember
JOURNAL_CODEJournal Of The Royal Society Interface
TITLECryptic iridescence in a fossil weevil generated by single diamond photonic crystals
STATUSValidated
TIMES_CITEDAltmetric: 4 ()
SEARCH_KEYWORDfossil colour structural colour Coleoptera iridescence photonic crystals photonic bandgap materials BUTTERFLY WING SCALES STRUCTURAL COLOR BEETLES SCATTERING DIVERSIFICATION NANOSTRUCTURES COLEOPTERA ORDER
VOLUME11
ISSUE
START_PAGE
END_PAGE
ABSTRACTNature's most spectacular colours originate in integumentary tissue architectures that scatter light via nanoscale modulations of the refractive index. The most intricate biophotonic nanostructures are three-dimensional crystals with opal, single diamond or single gyroid lattices. Despite intense interest in their optical and structural properties, the evolution of such nanostructures is poorly understood, due in part to a lack of data from the fossil record. Here, we report preservation of single diamond (Fd-3m) three-dimensional photonic crystals in scales of a 735 000 year old specimen of the brown Nearctic weevil Hypera diversipunctata from Gold Run, Canada, and in extant conspecifics. The preserved red to green structural colours exhibit near-field brilliancy yet are inconspicuous from afar; they most likely had cryptic functions in substrate matching. The discovery of pristine fossil examples indicates that the fossil record is likely to yield further data on the evolution of three-dimensional photonic nanostructures and their biological functions.
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URL
DOI_LINK10.1098/rsif.2014.0736
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