Diversity and Functions of Chromophores in Insects: A Review

Abstract

Insects are the most diverse among the animal kingdom. The diversity of insects is ever increasing due to their fast adaptability to the rapidly changing environmental conditions. The physiology of insects plays a vital role in the adaptation and competing adjustments in the nature with other species. The mechanism of vision and the involvement of visual pigments, like chromophores particularly in flies, have proved to be landmarks in the field of research. This has been achieved with the discovery of novel pathways involved in the mechanism of pigment development. However, certain visual pigments and their relationship with various chromophores need to be further elaborated. The role of insect pigments in vision, to identify the hosts, prays, and predators, is also discussed. Many naturally occurring pigments of insect origin are continuously being explored for better prospects and human welfare. The abundant availability of insect species all over the world and the never ending task of exploring their potential at morphological, physiological, evolutionary, and genetic levels have a tremendous potential to explore the subject like entomology.

The expression and function of opsin genes related to the phototactic behavior of Asian citrus psyllid

“…Visual pigment is an important part of compound eyes and determines the sensitive spectrum of photoreceptors . The visual pigment comprises a vitamin A‐derived chromophore and an opsin .…”

Analysis of color shift on butterfly wings by Fourier transform of images from atomic force microscopy

“…Several chemical pigments are commonly found in insects, some of them even in lepidoptera (Bankar, Dar, & Pandit, ; Shamim, Ranjan, Pandey, & Ramani, ). They share some of the bonds identified by FTIR peaks with the polysaccharides and proteins of the wing itself (i.e., chitin), and they could be attributed with the presence of a number of smaller peaks in the FTIR spectrum.…”

TGF-β Type II Receptor Punt Suppresses Antimicrobial Peptide Expression and Influences Development in Tribolium castaneum

“…By analogy to D. melanogaster , our results show that alternations in the transcript level of Punt also affect the elytra development of adults in T. castaneum . As for the whitened compound eyes caused by Punt RNAi, we speculated that Punt might be involved in compound eye pigment patterning, which is of great importance for insect behavior, survival, and adaptation to the environment [ 39 ]. However, the underlying mechanism needs further study.…”