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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

These ‘drab’ moths dazzle when the light is right

Night-loving insects that look brown by day have bright, species-specific patterns under infrared light.
Twenty-six moth species examined in the study are presented in both true- and false-colour images.

Many moth wings that are dull in visible light (left halves of specimens) are shiny and colourful in infrared (right halves). Credit: M. Li et al. J. R. Soc. Interface

Unlike their flamboyant butterfly relatives, moths have a reputation for being drab and dull. But research shows that these creatures are shiny and colourful under the right light1.

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Nature 606, 842 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01714-y

References

  1. Li, M. et al. J. R. Soc. Interface https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2022.0256 (2022).

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