DOCSLIB.ORG

297 This Is Not the First Time That Material from the Highlands West Of

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
297 This Is Not the First Time That Material from the Highlands West Of VOLUME 24, NUMBER 4 297 This is not the first time that material from the highlands west of Jalapa in the Schaus collection has been described as from thc city. The scarcity of this species, and for that matter of the Central American diocles, may be caused by collectors seeking these butterflies in tropical habitats, more typical for Adelpha, rather than in the high, moist montane valley where thcse specics occur. Acknowledgments We would like to thank Mr. R. 1. Vane-Wright of the British Museum (Natural History) and Mr. William D. Field of the U. S. National Mu­ seum for their help in comparing our material with the types of species in the respective museums. Literature Cited CLE:\fCH, H. K. 1966. Behavioral thermoregulation in butterflies. Ecology 47: 1021-1034. FHUHSTORFER, H. 1915. Adelpha. In A. Seitz, Die Gross-schmetterlinge der Erde 5: 51O~533. GODMAN, F. D. AND O. SALVIN. 1870-1901. Biologia Centrali-Americana. Insecta. L epidoptera-Rhopalocera. London, 2 vols. THE AFFINITIES OF THE ITHOMIINAE AND THE SATYRINAE ( NYMPHALIDAE ) LAWRENCE E. Gn.BERT AN)) PAUL R. EHRLICH Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California Fox (1956) called into qucstion the classical association of the nymph­ alid subfamilies Danainae and Ithomiinae, arguing that the Ithomiinae are actually more closely related to the Satyrinae, especially the glossy-winged genera such as Pierella. Miller (1968) in his excellent revision of the Satyrinae quoted Fox's view and remarked on the presence of a vestige of vein 3V (.3A) as "structural evidence" supporting "the obvious similar tendency of the ithomiids and the satyrines to have hyaline wings" (p. 15). As Miller noted, however, this characteristic is also shared by the danaines. There is, of course, massive morphological evidence clearly showing that ithomiine adults are more similar to danaines than to satyrines (Ehrlich, 1958, Ehrlich and Ehrlich, 1967). In this paper we present further evi­ dence that Fox's judgement was in error. 298 JOURNAL OF THE LEPIDOPTERISTS' SOCIETY In December, 1969, in the course of a field study of butterfly popula­ tions at the Beebe Tropical Research Station, Simla, Trinidad, W.I., we used "fedegoso" (dried plants of H eliotropum indicum L. (Boraginaceae) as an attractant to samplc populations of ithomiines for mark-release­ recapture experiments. We were impressed that this plant attracted not only very large numbers of male ithomiines (Ithomia drymo, Hymenitis andromica, Tithorea harmonia, Melinaea lilis, Hypothyris euclea, Mecha­ nitis isthmia, and others), but also largc numbers of males of the danaine, Lycorea ceres. No other butterflies were seen to pay the slightcst attcn­ tion to the fedegoso. A check of the literature reveals that Beebe himself ( 1955) had recorded ithomiines and both Lycorea and Danais plexippus visiting the lure. It is interesting to note here, that on Samoa and other South Pacific islands, danaines such as Euploea spp. and Danais melissa (again all males) are attracted by the dead twigs of Tournefortia argentia, another borage (Buxton, 1926, Poulton, 1936). An additional similarity among these isolated observations in the Neotropics and in Oceania is that amabd moths are attracted to these lures in both regions (sce also :\1oss 1947). Other behavioral traits link the Ithomiinae and Danainae. Both fly in the sedate manner which is typical of distasteful butterflies, and put on displays of agility only when attacked. Pierella, on the othcr hand, is one of the most rapidly flying satyrines, P. hyalinus displaying behavior char­ acteristic of butterflies with "flash and dazzle" coloration. We havc scen both danaines and ithomiines commonly taking nectar at flowers in the tropics, behavior rarely encountered in tropical satyrines. On the other hand, Pierella, Euptychia, and Taygetis all assemble on decaying fruit and are easily baited with it, but in our experience fruit baited traps havc never attracted ithomiincs or danaincs. Similar obscrvations on the absence of danaincs on fruit baits havc becn made in Africa (Hydon, 1964) where danaines wcre much more prominent in the butterfly fauna. In Euploea, at least, among the danaines, males are reputed to "assemble" females (Latter, 1935). It is also strongly suspected that male ithomiines "assemble" females (Gilbert, 1969). However, this point will remain uncertain until more is known about the courtship behavior of forest danaines, ithomiines, and satyrines. Finally, both Lycorea ceres and all of the ithomiincs we have investigated will feign death on capture, often remaining inert for up to five minutes. Wc have never observed this behavior in satyrines. One might argue that these behavioral similarities are all due to the involvement of the ithomiines and danaines in mimetic complexes, and indeed they may be. It should be noted, however, that Heliconills numata VOLUME 24, NUMBEH 4 289 and H. isabella (Nymphalinac), and Dismorphia amp hi one (Pieridae, Dismorphiinae) are involved in a mimicry complex with Lycorea ceres and Tithorea, Mechanitis, Meiinaea, and Hypothyris around Simla. Al­ though these share flight characteristics with Lycorea, Mechanitis, Meli­ naea, Hypothyris, and Tithorea, they do not visit fedegoso, they do not feign death, and, at least in the H eliconiini, males do not assemble females. We consider the morphological and behavioral evidence of the closeness of adult ithomiines to danaines significant when compared to the super­ ficial similarity in wing transparency of some ithomiines with a few satyrines. Similarly, evidence from immature stages indicates close affinity of ithomiines with danaines, not satyrines. The larvae of the first two always feed on dicotyledons, the third always on monocotyledons. Both Itho­ miinae and Danainae feed on plants rich in alkaloids, the former almost exclusively on Solanaceae and the latter primarily on Asclepiadaceae and Apocynaceae. Furthermore, Tithorea harmonia megara, one of the threc New World ithomiines reported to feed on non-solanaceous plants, fceds in Trinidad on Echites ( = Mesechites trifida Jacq., Apocynaceae; Guppy 1894, 1904). In Costa Rica, Fountaine (1911 ) reared Tithorea "pinthias" (= 1'. tal'ricina duenna Bates; see Fox, 1968) on a plant which from its description is probably Echites or another Apocynaceous vine. Guppy ( 1894) also reports finding Sais (= Ael'ia) eUl'ymedia on Echites in Trinidad. Morphologically, larvae of the danaine Lycorea and the ithomiine Tithorea are strikingly similar (descriptions in Guppy, 1894, 1904 and Fountaine, 1911 and illustrations in Guppy, 1904), and when disturbed have the same behavior of nervously twitching the long flexible protuber­ ances which arise from the first segment behind the head. Guppy (1894) describes A. eUl'ymedia larvae as almost identical to those of Tithorea except for their much smaller size at pupation. The larvae of such itho­ miine genera as Dil'cenna, Hypothyris, Ithomia, Goclyris, and Mechanitis do not superficially bear such strong resemblance to the danaines, nor to one another for that matter (Gilbert, personal observation). In any case, ithomiine larvae do not seem suggestive of the satyrines. Muller (1884) in his classic work "Sudamerikanische Nymphaliden Raupen" pointed out two characteristics in common among danaines and ithomiines. One is primary bristle development around larval bristle la. The second major characteristic suggesting close relationship is the rigidity of the pupae. The only two major differences between these groups according to Muller are, firstly, that danaines possess and itho­ miines lack the "Scherndornen" (long flexible protuberances), and sec- 300 JOUHNAL OF THE LEPlDOPTEHISTS' SOCIETY ondly that danaines feed on Asclepiadaceae whereas ithomiines feed on Solanaceae. Unfortunately, Millier apparently never worked on the life history of Tithorea, which represents a major exception to both of his criteria for separating thcse two groups. Acknow ledgments We would like to thank Michael C. Singer for advice in translating the Muller paper. Literature Cited BEEBE, w. 1955. Two little-known selective insect attractants. Zoologica 40: 27-32. BUXTO:'>!, P. A. 1926. Ellploea spp. frequenting dead twigs of TOtlrnefortia Argentea in Samoa and Tonga. Proc. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1: 35-37. EHRLICH, P. R. 1958. The comparative morphology, phylogeny and higher classifi­ cation of the butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea). Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 39: 305-.370. EHHLICH, P. R. AND ANNE H. EHRLICII. 1967. The phenetic rclationships of the butterflies. 1. Adult taxonomy and the nonspecificity hypothesis. Systematic Zoology 16: 301-317. FOUNTAINE, M. E. 1911. Five months butterfly collecting in Costa Rica in the summer of 1911. Entomologist 46: 189-194. Fox, R. M. 1956. A Monograph of the Ithomiidae (Lepidoptera) Part 1. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 111(1). Fox, R. M. 1968. Ithomiidae (Lepidoptera: Nymphaloidea) of Central America. Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc. 94: 155-208. GILBEHT, L. E. 1969. Some aspects of the ecology and community structure of itho­ mid butterflies in Costa Rica-Mimeo Res. Rep. Adv. Pop. Bio. Organization for Tropical Studies, Costa Rica, pp. 69-93. LATTER, O. H. AND ELTRINGHAM, H. 1935. The epigamic behavior of Ettploea (Crastia) core asela (Moore) (Lepidoptera Danainae). Proe. Roy. Soc. (B) 117: 470- 482. MILLER, LEE D. 1968. The higher classification, phylogeny, and zoogeography of the Satyridae (Lepidoptera). Mem. Amer. Ent. Soc. 24. Moss, A. M. 1947. Notes on the Syntomidae of Para with special refcrence to wasp mimicry and fedegoso, Heliotropillm indicttm (Boraginaceae) as an attractant. Entomologist 80: 30-35. MULLER, W. 1886. Sudamerikanisehe Nymphaliden Raupen. Zool. Jahrb. 1. POULTON, E. B. 1936. Euploeine butterfly feeding at the same broken surface of a Toumefortia branch and some days later on the withered leaves of the same branch: Tulagi, Solomon Islands 1936. Proc. R. Ent. Soc. Lond. (A) 11: 94-96. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 2021 US Dollars Butterfly Pupae to the Butterfly Keeper January 2021 2021 Butterfly Pupae Supplies
    2021 US Dollars Butterfly Pupae To the Butterfly Keeper January 2021 2021 Butterfly Pupae Supplies Happy New Year, thank you for downloading our 2021 US$ pupae price list and forms. Last year was a challenge for everyone and the damage caused by the pandemic to the Butterfly trade was considerable. Many facilities were forced to close their doors to the public and therefore received no income. We ourselves had to shut for seven months out of twelve and as I write in January there is no sign of us being allowed to open in the next two months at least. This hardship has been multiplied in the situation of our suppliers as they have no government support. IABES did manage to get some financial support to them during the first extensive lockdown but spread over many breeders it could not replace the income they get from their pupae. Along with problems here and at source the airline industry is really struggling and getting what pupae we can use, onto a suitable flight has caused us many a sleepless night telephoning Asia at one extreme and South America at the other. However, we trust that we will come out of this global problem and be able revert to normal sometime during the spring. We still guarantee that all our pupae conform to all international standards and comply with all current legislation. We have a system in place that gets pupae to US houses in an efficient manner. We have had a very small price increase this year mainly because of increased airfreight costs.
    [Show full text]
  • Biolphilately Vol-64 No-3
    BIOPHILATELY OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE BIOLOGY UNIT OF ATA MARCH 2020 VOLUME 69, NUMBER 1 Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em, And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum. —Augustus De Morgan Dr. Indraneil Das Pangolins on Stamps More Inside >> IN THIS ISSUE NEW ISSUES: ARTICLES & ILLUSTRATIONS: From the Editor’s Desk ......................... 1 Botany – Christopher E. Dahle ............ 17 Pangolins on Stamps of the President’s Message .............................. 2 Fungi – Paul A. Mistretta .................... 28 World – Dr. Indraneil Das ..................7 Secretary -Treasurer’s Corner ................ 3 Mammalia – Michael Prince ................ 31 Squeaky Curtain – Frank Jacobs .......... 15 New Members ....................................... 3 Ornithology – Glenn G. Mertz ............. 35 New Plants in the Philatelic News of Note ......................................... 3 Ichthyology – J. Dale Shively .............. 57 Herbarium – Christopher Dahle ....... 23 Women’s Suffrage – Dawn Hamman .... 4 Entomology – Donald Wright, Jr. ........ 59 Rats! ..................................................... 34 Event Calendar ...................................... 6 Paleontology – Michael Kogan ........... 65 New Birds in the Philatelic Wedding Set ........................................ 16 Aviary – Charles E. Braun ............... 51 Glossary ............................................... 72 Biology Reference Websites ................ 69 ii Biophilately March 2020 Vol. 69 (1) BIOPHILATELY BIOLOGY UNIT
    [Show full text]
  • Chemical Defence of the Warningly Coloured Caterpillars of Methona Themisto (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Ithomiinae)
    Eur. J. Entomol. 106: 253–259, 2009 http://www.eje.cz/scripts/viewabstract.php?abstract=1449 ISSN 1210-5759 (print), 1802-8829 (online) Chemical defence of the warningly coloured caterpillars of Methona themisto (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Ithomiinae) KAMILA F. MASSUDA and JOSÉ R. TRIGO* Laboratório de Ecologia Química, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, CP 6109, 13083-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil Key words. Aposematism, Brunfelsia uniflora, Camponotus crassus, Gallus gallus domesticus, learning, Lycosa erythrognatha, predation, Solanaceae, unpalatability Abstract. The caterpillars of the butterfly Methona themisto (Nymphalidae: Ithomiinae) are conspicuously coloured and feed exclu- sively on Brunfelsia uniflora (Solanaceae), a plant that is rich in secondary plant substances, which suggests the caterpillars are chemically protected against predators. Results of experiments indicate that predators determine the survival of Methona themisto caterpillars in the field and laboratory bioassays that this organism is eaten by ants and spiders but not chicks. Both the conspicuous orange and black striped colouration and chemical compounds of Methona themisto caterpillars seem to be related to protection against predation by visually hunting predators. Chicks ate proportionally more of the cryptically coloured 1st instar caterpillars than of the conspicuously coloured later instar caterpillars. That Methona themisto caterpillars are chemically defended is supported by the activity of the dichloromethanic extract of 5th instars in preventing predation by chicks. Caterpillars of Methona themisto are apo- sematic as they are both (1) unpalatable, and (2) their warning signal is easily recognized by potential predators. Chicks learned to avoid the aposematic 3rd or 5th instar caterpillars after one encounter. Mealworms painted to look like caterpillars were also rejected by chicks that had previously encountered Methona caterpillars.
    [Show full text]
  • The Endangered Butterfly Charonias Theano (Boisduval)(Lepidoptera
    Neotropical Entomology ISSN: 1519-566X journal homepage: www.scielo.br/ne ECOLOGY, BEHAVIOR AND BIONOMICS The Endangered Butterfly Charonias theano (Boisduval) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae): Current Status, Threats and its Rediscovery in the State of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil AVL Freitas1, LA Kaminski1, CA Iserhard1, EP Barbosa1, OJ Marini Filho2 1 Depto de Biologia Animal & Museu de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Univ Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brasil 2Centro de Pesquisa e Conservação do Cerrado e Caatinga – CECAT, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Brasília, DF, Brasil Keywords Abstract Aporiina, Atlantic Forest, endangered species, Pierini, Serra do Japi The pierid Charonias theano Correspondence (Boisduval), an endangered butterfly André V L Freitas, Depto de Biologia Animal & species, has been rarely observed in nature, and has not been recorded Museu de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Univ in the state of CSão. theano Paulo in the last 50 years despite numerous efforts Estadual de Campinas, CP6109, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brasil; [email protected] to locate extant colonies. Based on museum specimens and personal information, was known from 26 sites in southeastern Edited by Kleber Del Claro – UFU and southern Brazil. Recently, an apparently viable population was recorded in a new locality, at Serra do Japi, Jundiaí, São Paulo, with Received 26 May 2011 and accepted 03 severalsince this individuals site represents observed one of during the few two large weeks forested in April, protected 2011. areas The August 2011 existence of this population at Serra do Japi is an important finding, São Paulo, but within its entire historical distribution. where the species could potentially persist not only in the state of Introduction In the last Brazilian red list of endangered fauna (Machado intensively sampled from 1987 to 1991, resulting in a list et al of 652 species (Brown 1992).
    [Show full text]
  • The Speciation History of Heliconius: Inferences from Multilocus DNA Sequence Data
    The speciation history of Heliconius: inferences from multilocus DNA sequence data by Margarita Sofia Beltrán A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of London September 2004 Department of Biology University College London 1 Abstract Heliconius butterflies, which contain many intermediate stages between local varieties, geographic races, and sympatric species, provide an excellent biological model to study evolution at the species boundary. Heliconius butterflies are warningly coloured and mimetic, and it has been shown that these traits can act as a form of reproductive isolation. I present a species-level phylogeny for this group based on 3834bp of mtDNA (COI, COII, 16S) and nuclear loci (Ef1α, dpp, ap, wg). Using these data I test the geographic mode of speciation in Heliconius and whether mimicry could drive speciation. I found little evidence for allopatric speciation. There are frequent shifts in colour pattern within and between sister species which have a positive and significant correlation with species diversity; this suggests that speciation is facilitated by the evolution of novel mimetic patterns. My data is also consistent with the idea that two major innovations in Heliconius, adult pollen feeding and pupal-mating, each evolved only once. By comparing gene genealogies from mtDNA and introns from nuclear Tpi and Mpi genes, I investigate recent speciation in two sister species pairs, H. erato/H. himera and H. melpomene/H. cydno. There is highly significant discordance between genealogies of the three loci, which suggests recent speciation with ongoing gene flow. Finally, I explore the phylogenetic relationships between races of H. melpomene using an AFLP band tightly linked to the Yb colour pattern locus (which determines the yellow bar in the hindwing).
    [Show full text]
  • Aggregate?Pinheiro Et Al
    610 Why do the ithomiines (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) aggregate?Pinheiro et al. Notes on a butterfly pocket in central Brazil 1 2 3 Carlos E. G. Pinheiro , Ísis Meri Medri & Ana Karina Moreyra Salcedo 1Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade de Brasília – UnB, 70910-900 Brasília-DF, Brasil. [email protected] 2,3Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Depto. de Ecologia, Universidade de Brasília – UnB, 70910-900 Brasília-DF, Brasil. [email protected] ABSTRACT. Why do the ithomiines (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) aggregate? Notes on a butterfly pocket in central Brazil. This study provides information on the species composition and the number of butterflies in different phases of an ithomiine aggregation during the 2004 dry season in central Brazil, and tests some hypotheses concerning the pocket formation. The results obtained suggest that ithomiine pockets constitute primarily an adaptation of butterflies to the adverse climatic conditions of the dry season, such as high temperatures and low air relative humidity, rather than the occurrence of large concentrations of adult food resources (flowers visited for nectar were not found in the pocket site) or defense against visually hunting predators (contrary to the prediction tested, the frequency of butterflies bearing birds beak marks on the wings significantly increased along the period of pocket formation, especially in the case of Mechanitis polymnia, the most abundant species in the pocket). Other hypotheses concerning the pocket formation are also discussed. KEYWORDS. Beak marks; insectivorous birds; ithomiine pockets; Müllerian mimicry. RESUMO. Por que os Ithomiinae (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) se agregam? Observações sobre um bolsão de borboletas no Brasil central. Este trabalho apresenta dados sobre a composição de espécies e o número de indivíduos encontrados em diferentes fases de formação de um bolsão de Ithomiinae investigado na estação seca de 2004 em uma floresta de galeria do Brasil central, e testa algumas hipóteses relacionadas à formação do bolsão.
    [Show full text]
  • With Descriptions of Nine New Species
    European Journal of Taxonomy 551: 1–67 ISSN 2118-9773 https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2019.551 www.europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu 2019 · Nakahara S. et al. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). Monograph urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C3C851C3-0F12-412C-A15B-56F0F263CD00 Revision of the poorly known Neotropical butterfly genus Zischkaia Forster, 1964 (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Satyrinae), with descriptions of nine new species Shinichi NAKAHARA 1,*, Thamara ZACCA 2, Fernando M.S. DIAS 3, Diego R. DOLIBAINA 4, Lei XIAO 5, Marianne ESPELAND 6, Mirna M. CASAGRANDE 7, Olaf H.H. MIELKE 8, Gerardo LAMAS 9, Blanca HUERTAS 10, Kaylin KLECKNER 11 & Keith R. WILLMOTT 12 1,5,11,12 McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA. 1,11 Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA. 2 Departamento de Biologia Animal and Museu de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. 3,4,7,8 Laboratório de Estudos de Lepidoptera Neotropical, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. 6 Arthropoda Department, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauer Allee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany. 1,9 Departamento de Entomología, Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru. 10 Life Sciences Department, Natural History Museum, London, UK. * Corresponding author: [email protected]
    [Show full text]
  • Diverticula in Male Lycorea Halia Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Danaini: Itunina)—Support Organs for Everted Hairpencils with Unique Ultrastructure
    Neotrop Entomol (2020) 49:73–81 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-019-00720-6 SYSTEMATICS, MORPHOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY Diverticula in Male Lycorea halia Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Danaini: Itunina)—Support Organs for Everted Hairpencils with Unique Ultrastructure 1 2 2 3 2 WGNATZY ,OWFISCHER ,AKIESEL ,RIVANE-WRIGHT ,MBOPPRÉ 1Institut für Ökologie, Evolution and Diversität, Goethe Universität, Frankfurt am Main, Germany 2Forstzoologie und Entomologie, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany 3Dept of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, London, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), and School of Anthropology and Conservation, Univ of Kent, Canterbury, UK Keywords Abstract Androconial organs, functional morphology, The involvement of the diverticula, a synapomorphy for Itunina, in protru- extracellular fibril bundles, courtship sion and expansion of hairpencils by male Lycorea halia (Hübner, 1816) is Correspondence demonstrated for the first time. They facilitate maintaining the haemo- MBoppré,Forstzoologie und Entomologie, lymph pressure necessary to keep the hairpencils everted. The diverticula Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, 79085 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; [email protected] are curved hook-like lobes, open to the body cavity and densely filled with freiburg.de tracheae and threads made by units of two staggered cells surrounding a central extracellular fibril bundle. Such complex structures, apparently Edited by Roberto Romani – Univ of Perugia metabolically active, have not been reported for insects previously and Received 12 July 2019 and accepted 12 might indicate additional functions, but their functional role(s) remains a September 2019 puzzle. When a male emerges from pupa, the diverticula are not yet Published online: 5December 2019 formed; this happens only during the first protrusion of the hairpencils.
    [Show full text]
  • Variable Selection and the Coexistence of Multiple Mimetic Forms of the Butterfly Heliconius Numata
    Evolutionary Ecology 13: 721±754, 1999. Ó 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. Research paper Variable selection and the coexistence of multiple mimetic forms of the butter¯y Heliconius numata MATHIEU JORON1*, IAN R. WYNNE2, GERARDO LAMAS3 and JAMES MALLET2 1Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, Universite de MontpellierII, Place E. Bataillon, F-34095 Montpellier, France; 2Department of Biology, University College London, 4, Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HE, UK; 3Departamento de EntomologõÂa, Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Apartado 14-0434, Lima-14, Peru (*author for correspondence, fax: +31 (0) 71-527-4900; email: [email protected] Inst. Evol. Ecol. Sciences, Univ. Leiden, PO BOX 9516, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands) Received 20 June 2000; accepted 11 December 2000 Co-ordinating editor: C. Rowe Abstract. Polymorphism in aposematic animals and coexistence of multiple mimicry rings within a habitat are not predicted by classical MuÈ llerian mimicry. The butter¯y Heliconius numata Cramer (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae; Heliconiinae) is both polymorphic and aposematic. The polymor- phism is due to variation at a single locus (or `supergene') which determines colour patterns involved in MuÈ llerian mimicry. We sampled 11 sites in a small area (approx. 60 ´ 30 km) of North- eastern Peru for H. numata and its co-mimics in the genus Melinaea and Athyrtis (Ithomiinae), and examined the role of temporal and spatial heterogeneity in the maintenance of polymorphism. Colour-patterns of Melinaea communities, which constitute the likely `mimetic environment' for H. numata, are dierentiated on a more local scale than morphs of H. numata, but the latter do show a strong and signi®cant response to local selection for colour-pattern.
    [Show full text]
  • Moths and Butterflies
    LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004MOTHS LJL©2004 LJL©2004AND BUTTERFLIES LJL©2004 LJL©2004 (LEPIDOPTERA) LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 FROM LJL©2004 BAHÍA LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004HONDA LJL©2004 LJL©2004 AND CANALES LJL©2004 LJL©2004 DE TIERRA LJL©2004 ISLANDLJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004(VERAGUAS, LJL©2004 LJL©2004 PANAMA LJL©2004) LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004 LJL©2004
    [Show full text]
  • Nymphalidae: Ithomiinae)
    STUDIES ON THE ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF NEOTROPICAL ITHOMIINE BUTTERFLIES (NYMPHALIDAE: ITHOMIINAE) by GEORGE WILLIAM BECCALONI A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor ofPhilosophy ofthe University ofLondon October 1995 Biogeography and Conservation Laboratory Centre for Population Biology Department of Entomology Imperial College The Natural History Museum Silwood Park Cromwell Road Ascot London SW7 5BD Berkshire SL5 7PY 2 To my mother, Benjie & Judy in love and gratitude 3 ABSTRACT Two aspects ofthe ecology ofNeotropical ithomiine butterflies (Nymphalidae: Ithomiinae) are discussed: mimicry (Chapters 2, 3) and species richness (Chapters 4, 5). Chapter 2 defines eight mimicry complexes involving ithomiines and other insects found in eastern Ecuador. These complexes are dominated by ithomiine individuals. Hypotheses to explain polymorphism in Batesian and Mullerian mimics are assessed. In Chapter 3, evidence that sympatric ithomiine-dominated mimicry complexes are segregated by microhabitat is reviewed. Data confirm that sympatric complexes are segregated vertically by flight height. Flight height is shown to be positively correlated with larval host-plant height. Host-plant partitioning between species in a butterfly community results in the formation of microhabitat guilds of species, and evidence suggests that mimicry may evolve between species which share a guild, but not between guilds. Models for the evolution of mimicry complexes in sympatry, and for polymorphism and dual sex-limited mimicry in Mullerian mimics, are discussed in the light of these findings. Chapter 4 investigates relationships between species richness offamilies and subfamilies ofNeotropical butterflies and overall butterfly species richness at local and regional scales. A strong positive correlation is demonstrated between ithomiine richness and the species richness of all other butterflies.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecologically Relevant Cryptic Species in the Highly Polymorphic Amazonian Butterfly Mechanitis Mazaeus S.L
    bs_bs_banner Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 106, 540–560. With 7 figures Ecologically relevant cryptic species in the highly polymorphic Amazonian butterfly Mechanitis mazaeus s.l. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae; Ithomiini) RYAN I. HILL1*, MARIANNE ELIAS2, KANCHON K. DASMAHAPATRA3, CHRIS D. JIGGINS4, VICTOR KOONG5, KEITH R. WILLMOTT6 and JAMES MALLET3,7 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Pacific, 3601 Pacific Ave, Stockton, CA 95211, USA 2CNRS, UMR 7205, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Département Systématique et Evolution, 45 Rue Buffon, CP50, 75005, Paris, France 3Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK 4Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK 5Millipore Corporation, 28820 Single Oak Drive, Temecula, CA 92590, USA 6McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, SW 34th Street and Hull Road, PO Box 112710, Gainesville, FL 32611-2710, USA 7Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA Received 1 September 2011; revised 1 December 2011; accepted for publication 1 December 2011bij_1874 540..560 The understanding of mimicry has relied on a strong biosystematic framework ever since early naturalists first recognized this textbook example of natural selection. We follow in this tradition, applying new biosystematics information to resolve problems in an especially difficult genus of tropical butterflies. Mechanitis species are important components of Neotropical mimetic communities. However, their colour pattern variability has presented challenges for systematists, and has made it difficult to study the very mimicry they so nicely illustrate. The South American Mechanitis mazaeus and relatives have remained particularly intractable.
    [Show full text]