Camouflage in lichen moths: Field predation experiments and avian vision modelling demonstrate the importance of wing pattern elements and background for survival.

ABSTRACT: Background matching is perhaps the most ubiquitous form of defensive camouflage in the animal kingdom, an adaptive strategy that relies on the visual resemblance between a prey organism and its background to promote concealment from predators. The importance of background matching has been acknowledged for over a century, yet despite its renown and apparent pervasiveness, few studies exist that have objectively quantified its occurrence and tested the functional significance of background matching in a specific animal study system. The North Island lichen moth Declana atronivea presents a fascinating system to investigate such anti-predator coloration. This species possesses high contrast black and white forewings that appear to resemble lichen. Here we assessed the contribution of backgro

SUBMITTER: Mark CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10092008 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature