Beetle Iridescence — Chrysochroa Jewel Beetle
103.09 $
A jewel beetle (Chrysochroa buqueti) wing case photographed at 3:1 macro scale — the structural iridescence creating shifting spectral colours from green-gold to blue-violet.
Description
The jewel beetles of the family Buprestidae achieve their extraordinary metallic iridescence through the same thin-film interference mechanism used in holographic foils and optical coatings — the precise thickness and refractive index of the epicuticular layer producing selective wavelength reflection that changes with viewing angle. This photograph, made at 3:1 reproduction with a cross-light setup that creates simultaneous green-gold and blue-violet reflection zones, captures the full spectral range of the wing case iridescence in a single frame by using two reflection zones at different angles to the incident light. The image resolves the surface microstructure of the wing case — the hexagonal cell pattern of the epicuticle visible as a texture underlying the colour display.
