Pterin-pigmented nanospheres create the colours of the polymorphic damselfly Ischnura elegans.

ABSTRACT: Animal colours commonly act as signals for mates or predators. In many damselfly species, both sexes go through a developmental colour change as adults, and females often show colour polymorphism, which may have a function in mate choice, avoidance of mating harassment and camouflage. In the blue-tailed damselfly, Ischnura elegans, young males are bright green and turn blue as they reach maturity. Females are red ( rufescens) or violet ( violacea) as immatures and, when mature, either mimic the blue colour of the males ( androchrome), or acquire an inconspicuous olive-green ( infuscans) or olive-brown ( obsoleta). The genetic basis of these differences is still unknown. Here, we quantify the colour development of all morphs of I. elegans and investigate colour formation by combining anatom

SUBMITTER: Henze MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6505549 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature