Wing scale from a Sphinx Moth from Panama
Jan 15, 2015 • 10:48 PM UTC
Unknown Location
140x Magnification
Microorganisms
Manu Prakash
I am a faculty at Stanford and run the Prakash Lab at Department of Bioengineering at Stanford University. Foldscope community is at the heart of our Frugal Science movement - and I can not tell you how proud I am of this community and grassroots movement. Find our work here: http://prakashlab.stanford.edu
266posts
1192comments
42locations
I was eating dinner in an urban restaurant in Panama City, when I noticed a bat sized object right next to my chair. I looked closely, and it was a very very large dead moth. I was sad that I found this guy dead; but again I was very glad (and a little over excited) to have seen the latest moth in my life. This was a very large moth.
What was spectacular was the proboscis (tongue). It rolled up in a really tight spiral – just a perfect geometrical object.
But this post is about the wing scales of the moth ( I will post proboscis data later).
Anyone who has caught a butterfly or moth by hand knows, they leave a Powder like substance on your hand. If you look carefully; they leave a replica of the pattern that was on the wing.
Methods:
1. I took a single sided tape and applied it to the moth wing and peeled it gently.
2. I imaged this tape in my foldscope 140x.
Observation ;
It’s beautiful to realize that wing patterns and designs on butterflies and moths are digital. The scales are beautiful and individually organized in many colors (one scale – one color) and hence digital.
I was surprised to know that a single insect can have multiple size of scales. This is evident in some pictures here.
I also noticed linear patterns on the scales itself. I was wondering what role they might play. Do they make the wing less wetting and this effectively waterproof?
Enjoy the pictures.
Cheers
Manu
What was spectacular was the proboscis (tongue). It rolled up in a really tight spiral – just a perfect geometrical object.
But this post is about the wing scales of the moth ( I will post proboscis data later).
Anyone who has caught a butterfly or moth by hand knows, they leave a Powder like substance on your hand. If you look carefully; they leave a replica of the pattern that was on the wing.
Methods:
1. I took a single sided tape and applied it to the moth wing and peeled it gently.
2. I imaged this tape in my foldscope 140x.
Observation ;
It’s beautiful to realize that wing patterns and designs on butterflies and moths are digital. The scales are beautiful and individually organized in many colors (one scale – one color) and hence digital.
I was surprised to know that a single insect can have multiple size of scales. This is evident in some pictures here.
I also noticed linear patterns on the scales itself. I was wondering what role they might play. Do they make the wing less wetting and this effectively waterproof?
Enjoy the pictures.
Cheers
Manu
Sign in to commentNobody has commented yet... Share your thoughts with the author and start the discussion!
0 Applause
0 Comments
