E.A. (Emile-Alain) Séguy (1889-1985): 1. Goeana festiva. Indes; 2. Zammara tympanum. Amérique du Sud; 3. Goeana ochracea. Indes; 4. Phenax variegata. Brésil; 5. Hemisciera maculipennis. Amazone

just gonna file this under coolest things ever. these are illustrations by French entomologist Eugène Séguy, from a book detailing his illustrations of insects and colourful decorative compositions…

This article covers 17 of the most beautiful insects in the world, including the panda ant, Picasso bug, and orchid mantis.

Like butterflies, different species of fruit flies decorate their wings with a great diversity of spots and patterns. Digging deep into a single gene that produce pigmentation in the flies, a group led by UW-Madison biologist Sean Carroll has found the molecular switches that control where the pigmentation is deployed. The finding explains how common genes can be controlled to produce the seemingly endless array of patterns, decoration and body architecture found in animals.

E. A. Seguy