Butterflies: on the wings of freedom
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Shapes of Scales
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Morphidae:

 

The rectangular scales get more dentate when you go to the edge of the wing. At the edge they are more than two times as long as the ones in the middle.

Morphidae:

 

The scales reflect the light in green, light blue. Under another angle of inclination you see the pattern on the bottom side of the wings because the covering of scales is very thin.

Lasiocampidae:
 

The magnification shows the border of the silver reflecting eyespots without scales. The scales get more frayed out towards the edge of the wing.

Uraniidae:
                           

 

The difference between the reflecting and the pigmented scales is visible.

Satyridae:
 

The transparency is due to the reduction of the scales to few, hair-shaped scales. Only at the edge there are one to two rows of "normal" scales.


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