schemochrome

From Ancient Greek σχῆμα (skhêma, “shape”) +‎ -chrome, from χρῶμα (khrôma, “colour”).^[1]

schemochrome (plural schemochromes)

1. (biology) Colouration produced by microscopic structures that reflect/refract light rather than pigments.
   • 1973, Florida Ornithological Society, The Florida field naturalist‎^[2], page n183:

     First, a blue pigment is known from birds (rhodoxanthin, a xanthophyll producing the blue of fruit pigeons, Ptilinopus; see Buckley 1982 : 61), although the blue of parrots is almost certainly not based on a pigment (biochrome), but rather is a schemochrome (structural color).

   • 1975, Howe, William H, Bauer, David L, The Butterflies of North America‎^[3], Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, page 19:

     In some groups a schemochrome overlies a conspicuous biochrome, with spectacular effect.

   • 2010, Morgan, E. David (Eric David), Biosynthesis in insects‎^[4], page 272:

     The fine scales on the wings of some butterflies and the surface of scarab beetles produce schemochrome colours (Chapman, 1998a).

• biochrome