Abstract
In insects and other animals, interference colours usually serve as conspicuous visual signals1–4. The colours of tiger beetles also originate by interference of multiple reflections5,6, yet many species exhibit dorsal colorations that appear pigmentary and inconspicuous (cryptic) against soil backgrounds. These dull colours, however, are actually additive mixtures of different interference colours that blend when viewed with the naked eye. This same principle of partitive mixing is used in colour television, printing and the pointillist painting style of neo-impressionist artists7. We report here on the first demonstration of interference colours mixing partitively to produce animal camouflage.
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