Variability of the Structural Coloration in Two Butterfly Species with Different Prezygotic Mating Strategies.

ABSTRACT: Structural coloration variability was investigated in two Blue butterfly species that are common in Hungary. The males of Polyommatus icarus (Common Blue) and Plebejus argus (Silver-studded Blue) use their blue wing coloration for conspecific recognition. Despite living in the same type of habitat, these two species display differences in prezygotic mating strategy: the males of P. icarus are patrolling, while P. argus males have sedentary behavior. Therefore, the species-specific photonic nanoarchitecture, which is the source of the structural coloration, may have been subjected to different evolutionary effects. Despite the increasing interest in photonic nanoarchitectures of biological origin, there is a lack of studies focused on the biological variability of structural coloration that

SUBMITTER: Piszter G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5104395 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature