Opaline Green

Opalinidae

The opalines are a small group of peculiar heterokonts, currently assigned to the family Opalinidae, in the order Slopalinida. Their name is derived from the opalescent appearance of these microscopic organisms when illuminated with full sunlight. Most opalines live in the large intestine and cloaca of anurans, though they are sometimes found in fish, reptiles, molluscs and insects; whether they are parasitic is not certain. The unusual features of the opalines, first observed by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1683, has led to much debate regarding their phylogenetic position among the protists.

Green

Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It has 295–350 different shades. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495–570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combination of yellow and cyan; in the RGB color model, used on television and computer screens, it is one of the additive primary colors, along with red and blue, which are mixed in different combinations to create all other colors. By far the largest contributor to green in nature is chlorophyll, the chemical by which plants photosynthesize and convert sunlight into chemical energy. Many creatures have adapted to their green environments by taking on a green hue themselves as camouflage. Several minerals have a green color, including the emerald, which is colored green by its chromium content.

opaline

Adjective

1. Resembling opal in having a milky white iridescence.

Noun

1. A clear to white liquid secreted by sea hares (genus Aplysia) that becomes viscous upon contact with water.
2. Any of several minerals resembling opal, including a variety of yellow chalcedony.

green

Noun

1. The color of grass and leaves; a primary additive color midway between yellow and blue which is evoked by light between roughly 495–570 nm.
2. A member of a green party; an environmentalist.

Adjective

1. Of a green hue.
2. Sickly, unwell.