Optical coloration mechanism of beetle elytra: a review

Yuhang Shi; Kaixiao Huang; Wei Wu

doi:10.23977/erej.2025.090103

Optical coloration mechanism of beetle elytra: a review

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DOI: 10.23977/erej.2025.090103 | Downloads: 53 | Views: 301

Author(s)

Yuhang Shi ¹, Kaixiao Huang ¹, Wei Wu ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Jun Gong Road, Shanghai, China

Corresponding Author

Wei Wu

ABSTRACT

In nature, structural colors are widely observed in various living organisms, resulting from intricate nano-structural designs developed through evolution. Beetles, with over 350,000 species, exhibit a remarkable diversity of colors, many of which are structural rather than pigment-based. These structural colors arise from optical processes such as film interference, diffraction grating, light scattering and photonic crystals. Additionally, some beetle elytra can change color, aiding in survival through camouflage, communication, and environmental adaptation. This review explores the fundamental optical mechanisms of structural colors, and then survey three color change ways of beetle elytra. The summary of basic researches can help scientists to further investigate biomimetic materials about structural color.

KEYWORDS

Structural color, Nanostructures, Beetle elytron, Photonic crystal

CITE THIS PAPER

Yuhang Shi, Kaixiao Huang, Wei Wu, Optical coloration mechanism of beetle elytra: a review. Environment, Resource and Ecology Journal (2025) Vol. 9: 24-31. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/erej.2025.090103.

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Optical coloration mechanism of beetle elytra: a review

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ABSTRACT

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