Parallel evolution of Batesian mimicry supergene in two Papilio butterflies, P. polytes and P. memnon.

ABSTRACT: Batesian mimicry protects animals from predators when mimics resemble distasteful models. The female-limited Batesian mimicry in Papilio butterflies is controlled by a supergene locus switching mimetic and nonmimetic forms. In Papilio polytes, recent studies revealed that a highly diversified region (HDR) containing doublesex (dsx-HDR) constitutes the supergene with dimorphic alleles and is likely maintained by a chromosomal inversion. In the closely related Papilio memnon, which exhibits a similar mimicry polymorphism, we performed whole-genome sequence analyses in 11 butterflies, which revealed a nearly identical dsx-HDR containing three genes (dsx, Nach-like, and UXT) with dimorphic sequences strictly associated with the mim

SUBMITTER: Iijima T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5906075 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature