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How come house flies have metallic green/yellow color type skin?

Bio-Hazard
in Biology

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I look at flies and sometimes I see a metallic shine on their skin.. I can't tell what it is. Does anyone know?

It's a property of the microstructure of the exoskeleton. The orientation of tiny structures caused light to reflect in a particular way, looking shiny or iridescent.

Not off the top of my head, no. Google is your best bet.

If you want an unscienific defention... well, flies were made by God. God made them for who they are. :P

  • Author

K...

 

The orientation of tiny structures caused light to reflect in a particular way, looking shiny or iridescent.

 

What would these structures be called?

Not a clue. I'm only familiar with similar structures in snakes that give certain species an iridescent sheen, but I'm not aware of any specific name for those either.

 

Mokele

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