title: Preservation of iridescent colours in Phorinia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera: Tachinidae).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Iridescent blue-green colours are exhibited by various organisms including several taxa in the Tachinidae (Diptera) with notable examples within the Afrotropical members of the genus Phorinia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830. The vivid colouration observed in life quickly fades to a dull golden-yellow when a specimen is dried. Although well known, no published explanation has been given for this phenomenon.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We illustrate the mechanism associated with this colour change. We also test and propose technical alternatives to retain the living colours in dried specimens.
authors.affiliation: Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Rue Vautier 29, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Braet
authors.affiliation: Eades Farmhouse, Church Road, Theberton, Suffolk, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Downes
authors.affiliation: Photonic of living Organisms group, Research Center in Physics of Matter and Radiation (PMR), University of Namur (UNamur), 61 rue de Bruxelles, B-5000 Namur, Belgium.
authors.forename: Priscilla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simonis
keywords: Entomology; Iridescence; Photonic crystal; Pigments; Structural colour