Microstructure of wing scales in butterfly species from Alagar Hills, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Study undertaken to find the structural arrangement of scales in similar coloured regions within butterfly wings of different species revealed their scale structure was architecturally different. The scales under scanning electron microscope showed difference among butterflies. Scales of Papilio polymnestor (Cramer) had high concentration of windows, Pareronica ceylanica (Felder) with beads and other species such as Talicada nyseus (Guerin Meneville), Atraphaneura aristolochiae (Fabricius), Junonia heirta (Fabricius), Neptis hordonia (Moore), Acrae violae (Fabricius) and Danus chrysippus (Linnaeus) had network and lamina. Tonality of colours showed differences in the arrangement of scales.