Signal design and courtship presentation coincide for highly biased delivery of an iridescent butterfly mating signal.

ABSTRACT: Sensory drive theory contends that signaling systems should evolve to optimize transmission between senders and intended receivers, while minimizing visibility to eavesdroppers where possible. In visual communication systems, the high directionality afforded by iridescent coloration presents underappreciated avenues for mediating this trade-off. This hypothesis predicts functional links between signal design and presentation such that visual conspicuousness is maximized only under ecologically relevant settings and/or to select audiences. We addressed this prediction using Hypolimnas bolina, a butterfly in which males possess ultraviolet markings on their dorsal wing surfaces with a narrow angular reflectance function. Males bearing brighter dorsal markings are increasingly attractive to f

SUBMITTER: White TE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4312914 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature