Thermal characterization of butterfly wings—1. Absorption in relation to different color, surface structure and basking type
1994; Elsevier BV; Volume: 19; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/0306-4565(94)90039-6
ISSN1879-0992
Autores Tópico(s)Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
Resumo1. Spectral integral reflectance, transmittance and the resulting absorption of intact and descaled butterfly wings of the black-winged Pachliopta aristolochiae (Papilionidae), the white-winged Pieris brassicae (Pieridae), and the yellow-winged Gonepteryx rhamni (Pieridae) were determined between 350 and 800 nm. 2. Whereas in the black forewing of the dorsal basking Pachliopta almost all incident light is absorbed nearly independent of the wavelength and thus converted into heat, the white forewing of the body basking Pieris absorbs less than 20% in the visible range of the spectrum. 3. The yellow hindwing of the lateral basking Gonepteryx absorbs to a higher degree than the Pierid wing, but—due to the sparsely arranged scales—transmittance is clearly increased (40–50% between 525 and 800 nm). 4. The varying thermal characteristics of the different wings with reference to the color and arrangement of the scales and the different basking strategies of the butterflies are discussed.
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