ocellation

plural ocellations

1. uncountableThe development of eye-like markings, such as those on the wing of a butterfly or tail of a peacock.

   In Pararge aegeria, increased dorsal hindwing ocellation (i.e., four spots) occurs in mid-summer (Parker, 1984; Shreeve, 1987).

   1993, Roger L. H. Dennis, Butterflies and Climate Change, →ISBN, page 131

   1 more example

   This feature is the ocellation of the tail feathers of the male of the species, whose brilliant plumage earned its reputation since antiquity as the most beautiful of all birds.

   1997, Marjorie O'Rourke Boyle, Loyola's Acts: The Rhetoric of the Self, →ISBN, page 111

2. countableAn eye-like marking; ocellus.

   All that is left of the omnidirectional ball of intense eyes is the dual colour of the ocellations and the brilliant pattern they make, a fascinating, silky fan.

   2016, Michel Serres, The Five Senses: A Philosophy of Mingled Bodies, →ISBN