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a number of mimicry rings can be observed [69]. Also neotropical
butterflies of the genus
show a strong warning colouration
displayed by means of a striking green wing colouration as an apose-
matic display to potential predators [42,67].
Parides
1.8.3 Camoulage
Camouflage is not a true communication channel, rather the
opposite, since a colouration that supports camouflage has the
intention to avoid detection rather than to be visible to mates. In the
animal kingdom, there are a number of ways to avoid predation by
camouflage. The most common way of camouflaging is by fading in
with the background of the habitat, that is, by adapting its spectral
properties.
The Green Hairstreak,
, has randomly ordered
domains of gyroid-type photonic crystals in its wing scales. Light
reflected by the scales blends together diffusely and so creates a
dull greenish colouration that, when sitting on a leaf, matches with
the foliaceous background (see Fig. 1.6a [38,52]). Similarly, the
camouflage of some cephalopods with polarised signals may offer a
“secret” communication channel for conspecifics [70].
Callophrys rubi
1.9 Bio-Inspired Applications
Recently, biological photonic structures have gained a rapidly
increasing interest of material scientists due to their light control
properties, aiming to artificially create photonic structures in the
visible wavelength range. Since biological materials often surpass
present-day, man-made materials in terms of quality and optical
effects, it is a logical step to use the biological nanostructures as
blueprints for the reproduction of photonic nanostructures until
such structures can be produced by technological processes de novo.
The manufacturing of photonic structures that reflect visible
light (i.e., in the wavelength range of 380 nm to 750 nm), especially
of 3D photonic crystals, has been extremely difficult for present day
methods. Standard experimental techniques are limited to creating
structures that reflect either in the infrared (top-down approaches,
for example, lithography and laser writing [71,72]) or in the
ultraviolet wavelength range (bottom-up approaches, for example,
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