Geographic variation of melanisation patterns in a hornet species: genetic differences, climatic pressures or aposematic constraints?

ABSTRACT: Coloration of stinging insects is often based on contrasted patterns of light and black pigmentations as a warning signal to predators. However, in many social wasp species, geographic variation drastically modifies this signal through melanic polymorphism potentially driven by different selective pressures. To date, surprisingly little is known about the geographic variation of coloration of social wasps in relation to aposematism and melanism and to genetic and developmental constraints. The main objectives of this study are to improve the description of the colour variation within a social wasp species and to determine which factors are driving this variation. Therefore, we explored the evolutionary history of a polymorphic hornet, Vespa velutina Lepeletier, 1836, using mitochondrial an

SUBMITTER: Perrard A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3989226 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature