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Structural colours in diverse Mesozoic insects.

Chenyang Cai1, Erik Tihelka2, Yanhong Pan1,3

  • 1State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, and Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, People's Republic of China.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Fossil insects in mid-Cretaceous amber display vivid metallic structural colours. Nanoscale multilayer reflectors in their cuticle explain the exceptional colour preservation in fossils.

Keywords:
CretaceousInsectaambercolourcuckoo waspstaphonomy

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Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Biophysics
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Structural colours, arising from nanoscale refractive index modulations, are nature's most pure colours.
  • Studying original colours in fossils offers insights into extinct organisms' ecology and colour evolution.
  • Vivid metallic colours have been observed in diverse insects preserved in mid-Cretaceous amber.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the origin and preservation of structural colours in fossil insects.
  • To analyze the nanostructures responsible for colour in Cretaceous amber fossils.
  • To understand the evolutionary significance and potential functions of these ancient colours.

Main Methods:

  • Scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) were used to examine the cuticle nanostructure of fossil insects.
  • Theoretical modeling of reflectance spectra was performed to predict colour properties.
  • Comparative analysis with modern biophotonic nanostructures was conducted.

Main Results:

  • A fossil wasp's epicuticle exhibited five alternating electron-dense and electron-lucent layers, indicative of multilayer reflectors.
  • Theoretical modeling calculated a reflectance peak at 514 nm, corresponding to observed bluish-green colours.
  • Similar structural colours (green to blue) were found in fossil beetles and a fly.

Conclusions:

  • Multilayer reflectors are responsible for the exceptional preservation of structural colours in amber fossils.
  • Structural colours in these fossil insects likely served functions such as camouflage or thermoregulation.
  • This discovery provides evidence for the evolution of structural colours in arthropods and the preservation potential of ancient nanostructures.