Single crystal calcium fluoride sCaF2d is an important material for vacuum-ultraviolet optics. Nevertheless, prolonged exposure to energetic radiation can color the material by producing calcium metal nanoparticles. We compare the effectiveness of laser conditioning treatments at wavelengths ranging from the near infrared to the deep ultraviolet in removing this coloration. Treatments at 157, 5...

Coloration patterns of tropical reef fishes is commonly used for taxonomic purposes, yet few studies have focused on the relationship between species boundaries and coloration types. The three-spot damselfish (Dascyllus trimaculatus) species complex comprises four species that vary both in geographical ranges and colour patterns making them an ideal model to study these relationships. We analys...

Silk fabrics were colored by gold nanoparticles (NPs) that were in situ synthesized through the induction of sunlight. Owing to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of gold NPs, the treated silk fabrics presented vivid colors. The photo-induced synthesis of gold NPs was also realized on wet silk through adsorbing gold ions out of solution, which provides a water-saving coloration meth...

Thorns, spines and prickles are among the rich arsenal of antiherbivore defence mechanisms that plants have evolved. Many of these thorns are aposematic, that is, marked by various types of warning coloration. This coloration was recently proposed to deter large herbivores. Yet, the mechanical defence provided by thorns against large herbivores might be only the tip of the iceberg in a much mor...

Animals possess a range of defensive markings to reduce the risk of predation, including warning colours, camouflage, eyespots and mimicry. These different strategies are frequently considered independently, and with little regard towards predator vision, even though they may be linked in various ways and can be fully understood only in terms of predator perception. For example, camouflage and ...

Recent studies have shown that melanin-based coloration is associated with the ability to cope with stressful environments, potentially explaining why coloration covaries with anti-predator behaviours, boldness and docility. To investigate whether these relationships are consistent across species, we performed a study in the European kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Similar to our results found pre...

A new species of the eucerine bee genus Tetraloniella Ashmead (Apinae: Eucerini) is described and figured from central Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Tetraloniella (Tetraloniella) persiciformissp. n. is distinguished on the basis of coloration, integumental sculpturing, male metafemoral structure, and male terminalia. A floral record of Pulicaria undulata (L.) C.A. Mey. (Compositae) is noted for some ...

Pseudochromis oligochrysus new species is described from nine specimens collected from Nusa Penida (off Bali) and Pura Island (between Pantar and Alor), Indonesia. It resembles P. flavopunctatus Gill & Randall from Komodo, Indonesia, but differs in live coloration and scale counts. Pseudochromis rutilus new species is described from the holotype collected from Nusa Penida. It differs from simil...

We describe a new species, Epipedobates darwinwallacei sp. nov., from the area of Mindo, on northwestern Ecuador. It inhabits low montane forests in an elevational range of about 1250-1390 m. It differs from all congeneric species by its strong aposematic coloration and tarsal keels. Among species of Epipedobates, the new species has been confused with E. boulengeri and E. espinosai, but it dif...

Plate-like hydrated tungsten trioxide (3WO(3)·H(2)O) films were grown on a fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated transparent conductive substrate via an efficient, facile and template-free hydrothermal method. The film exhibited a fast coloration/bleaching response (t(c90%) = 4.3 s and t(b90%) = 1.4 s) and a high coloration efficiency (112.7 cm(2) C(-1)), which were probably due to a large surf...