5 88 
Color and Pattern and their Uses 
Chemical 
colors 
Physical 
colors 
Chemico- 
physical 
colors 
TABLE OF INSECT COLORS. 
By W. L. Tower. 
{ Black 1 Located 
Dark brown I in 
Brown j primary 
Straw yellows J cuticula 
Permanent. Insoluble in water, 
alcohol, ether, oils, weak acids, 
or alkalies 
Soluble in strong concentrated 
mineral acids with dissolution of 
the cuticula 
Hypodermal 
colors 
i 
Chrome 
eo 
yellows 
Located in 
B 
Red 
hypodermal 
o 
f-H - 
Vermilion 
cells as 
»-M 
u 
Scarlet 
granules 
O 
a, 
. Blue 
. 3 
Permanent. Insoluble 
in water, oils, alcohol, 
weak acids, or alkalies 
Soluble in ether or other 
fatty solvents 
{ Green 
Yellow 
White 
Located in 
or between 
the hypo- 
dermal 
cells 
Derived 
pigments 
Not permanent. 
Fade at death or 
on exposure 
Soluble in water, al¬ 
cohol, etc: 
Are chlorophyll or 
xyanthophyll de¬ 
rivatives largely 
' 
Located in 
' 
Sub- 
f Green 
the body- 
T) AVI ITA/i 
hypodermal -j 
Yellow 
cavity in 
L/Cl 1V CLL 
pigments 
colors 
l White 
hsemolymph 
or fat-body 
Not permanent. Fade 
at death or on ex¬ 
posure 
Soluble in usual or¬ 
ganic solvents 
Reflection j w ,., \ Caused by air included within scales, etc. The most 
colors l 1 e \ common, and perhaps the only true physical, color 
Refraction 
colors 
Metallic I Opalescent 
colors [ colors 
Caused by combining white and 
some metallic refraction color, 
usually with pigment present. 
Frequently caused by thin irregu¬ 
lar lamellae over pigment, giving 
effect of Newton’s rings 
Diffraction j Iridescent 
colors | colors 
See next class 
Reflection 
pigmental 
colors (a) 
Colored surfaces 
with polished ap¬ 
pearance 
Blacks 
Browns 
Yellows 
Reds 
} Caused by a polished lamellar 
surface over layer of pig¬ 
ment. 
Refraction 
pigmental 
colors (b) 
Almost all 
metallic 
colors 
( Cause—polished refractive lamella overlying a 
f layer of pigment 
Diffraction 
pigmental 
colors (c) 
Almost all 
iridescent 
colors 
/ Cause—surface structures, pits, ridges on refrac- 
f tive lamella overlying a layer of pigment 
Combination 
colors 
Various iridescent metallic and 
opalescent metallic colors, etc., 
in which colors of groups a, b, 
and c combine to produce color 
effects 
This class of color is con¬ 
fined largely to Lepi- 
doptera and almost ex¬ 
clusively to scaled in¬ 
sects or areas bearing 
scales 
