This is particularly interesting as the beetle's exoskeleton underneath the scales is black, meaning that the scattering events must be very efficient in order to achieve such high opacity.

[3] The white scales are composed of sclerotin, a modified form of the polymer chitin, and are whiter than paper or any artificial material produced as of 2022.

That is they have a scattering mean free path shorter than any natural material thanks to the anisotropy in the spatial architecture of the fibres, which ensures a high packing efficiency whilst preventing optical crowding.

[7] Scientists have exploited the topology of the random network to fabricate materials of comparable performance for application as ultra-white paints and coatings.

[10] In 2023 a durable alumina-based ceramic based on Cyphochilus achieved a solar reflectivity of 99.6%, a record high, along with infrared thermal emission of 96.5%.