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Why are some tarantulas blue?

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  • Why are some tarantulas blue?

    Hi,

    an article about blue coloured tarantulas:
    • FOELIX, R. F., B. ERB & B. WULLSCHLEGER (2009): Worauf beruht die Blaufärbung gewisser Vogelspinnenarten? ARACHNE 13(3): 4-12.

      Summary:
      Several species of tarantulas (theraphosids) exhibit a deep blue coloration of various body parts. The blue color is confined to small hairs of only 5–6 µm diameter, which lie rather flat above the cuticle. The blue coloration is not due to pigments but results from an interference of light with the lamellated hair wall, where thin cuticular layers (50–75 nm) alternate with thin air spaces. Similar multi-layered structures of the same dimensions are wellknown from iridescent scales in butterflies or from shiny feathers in birds.


    BTW, the article is written in german.

    all the best,
    Martin
    »ARACHNE« – The Journal of the German Arachnology Society
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