Ultrablack color in velvet ant cuticle

• Vinicius Marques Lopez,
• Wencke Krings,
• Juliana Reis Machado,
• Stanislav Gorb and
• Rhainer Guillermo-Ferreira

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1554–1565, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.122

• of the ultrablack cuticle in Traumatomutilla bifurca, an enigmatic and visually striking species of velvet ants (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae). Using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and optical

• contributes to a deeper understanding of ultrablack biological materials and their potential applications in biomimetics. Keywords: animal coloration; biophotonics; Hymenoptera; insects; Mutillidae; superblack; surface; Introduction The phenomenon of highly absorptive colors, also known as ultrablack, has

• reproductive success, offering substantial adaptive advantages within their respective habitats. Velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) are wasps that exhibit a wide range of colors, usually contrasting with black integument. Their coloration is considered to be aposematic, that is, colors that ward off