Characterization of the iridescence-causing multilayer structure of the Ceroglossus suturalis beetle using bio-inspired optimization strategies

ANA LUNA; DEMETRIO MACÍAS; DIANA SKIGIN; MARINA INCHAUSSANDAGUE; D. SCHINCA; GIGLI MIRIAM; ALEXANDRE VIAL

OPTICS EXPRESS

OPTICAL SOC AMER

Lugar: Washington; Año: 2013 vol. 21 p. 19189 - 19201

1094-4087

We investigate the iridescence exhibited by Ceroglossus suturalis beetles, which mostly live endemically in the southern end of South America. Two differently colored specimens have been studied. We observed and characterized the samples by differentmicroscopy techniques, which revealed a multilayer structure within their cuticle. Using measured reflectance spectra as input data, we applied heuristic optimization techniques to estimate the refractive index values of the constituent materials, to be introduced within the theoretical model. The color of the samples was calculated for different incidence angles, showing that multilayer interference is the mechanism responsible for the observed iridescence.