Insect colors can be described on the basis of chromogenes or intensity of colored organic complexes or pigments available underneath the cuticular cells. Yes you can use this chart, but for comparison you have to select various combinations of natural colors which are already defined and have appropriate names. In case of insects mixed colors, shining, plane and contrasting colors are usually observed.

Here are some titles (a chapter bibliography) from Judith Winston's "Describing Species" handbook:

Color Charts

1. GSA Rock Color Chart; with Genuine Munsell Color Chips, rev. text. 1991. Boulder, Colo., Geological Society of America. (For paleontology.)

2. Kornerup, A. and J. H. Wanscher. 1984. Methuen Handbook of Colour, 3d ed., rev. by Don Pevey. New York, Hastings House. (A standard reference.)

3. Munsell Color Company. 1976. Munsell Book of Color: Glossy Finish Collection, 2 vols. Baltimore, Munsell Color.

4. Munsell Color Company. 1976. Munsell Book of Color: Matte Finish Collection.

Baltimore, Munsell Color. (With above, a standard reference.)

5. Munsell Color Charts for Plant Tissues, 2d ed. rev. 1977. Baltimore, Munsell Color. (17 color charts; main use is diagnosing plant diseases.)

6. Munsell Soil Color Charts, rev. ed. 1994. Baltimore, Munsell Color.

7. Pantone Color Selector: Designers’ Guide. 1996. 2 vols. Carlstadt, N.J., Pantone.

8. Pantone Color Selector 1000. 1993. Carlstadt, N.J., Pantone.

9. Pantone Color Survival Kit. 1995. 3 vols. Carlstadt, N.J., Pantone. (Pantone volumes intended mainly for designers and graphic artists.)

10. Ridgeway, R. 1912. Color Standard and Color Nomenclature. Washington, D.C., A.Hoen. (Classic reference, long out of print.)

11. Royal Horticultural Society. 1995. RHS Colour Chart, 3d ed. London, The Royal

Horticultural Society. (In print; standard for botanists, but has all colors in four

color fans, plastic container.)

12. Smithe, F. B. 1974. Naturalist’s Color Guide Supplement. New York, American

Museum of Natural History.

13. Smithe, F. B. 1975. Naturalist’s Color Guide. New York, American Museum of

Natural History.

14. Smithe, F. B. 1981. Naturalist’s Color Guide Part III. New York, American Museum of Natural History. (Used mainly by ornithologists.)

15. Villalobos-Domingues, C. and J. Villalobos. 1947. Atlas de Colores. Buenos Aires, El Ateneo. (Another classic color reference; text is in Spanish and English.)

Hope that will be useful.

The answer depends on what you are trying to do. If you are describing larval insects for an identification guide, then the Munsell color wheel will probably work. You could look at equivalents from companies that sell colored products to artists. You could look at books on photography, flower arranging, stamp collecting, or art. The description of color is important to a large number of fields.

     If you want to quantify color: one approach would be to take high quality digital photographs. You will have to describe (in painful detail) the camera, lighting, and background. Then take pictures of everything. Use a program like Adobe Photoshop, and it will tell you the values for each color. It will also give you a number of choices in how to describe that color: CYMK, RGB, etc...

     Be aware that each step in the process changes the color a little bit. The photograph will not be a perfect representation of the natural color. Photoshop may not be able to get an exact match with whatever system you choose. In publication, the printing process will change the color. If you give the color values to someone else and they print it using their desktop printer, the color will not be a perfect match to what the journal published. The color will change when displayed on the computer screen. The changes are small, but cumulative.

hi carlos

you likewise can use spectrophotometry. but depends of what you are up to and how important it is for you to have a quantifiable measurement.

greetings

nikola