Males of two closely related, co-occurring species of Lycaena butterflies have dorsally blue (Lycaena heteronea) or red-orange plus ultraviolet (Lycaena rubidus) wings. Males are selectively territorial against conspecific males. Virgin females accept only conspecific males, probably chosen by wing color. Females are nonterritorial and spend most of their adult activity ovipositing on the correct larval food plants. Eyes of both species contain four spectral types of visual pigments (P360, P437, P500, and P568) but the distribution of these pigments within the receptor mosaic is quite different between both species and sexes. The ventral eye region of L. heteronea is tetrachromatic but that of L. rubidus is trichromatic, lacking the blue-sensitive visual pigment P437. The dorsal eye region of males of both species is dichromatic (P360 and P437). Visual-pigment spectra and wing-reflectance spectra are well matched for effective discrimination of wings of conspecific males from those of other species. The dorsal region of female eyes is trichromatic, containing P360, P437, and P568. The third visual pigment, P568, is important for longrange detection by ovipositing females of red coloration on Eriogonum and Rumex food plants. P568 has the same absorbance spectrum as the human red-cone and is considerably red-shifted compared to the P530 possessed by most insects.That the sexes and closely related species can have such major differences in distribution of visual pigments indicates that the visual system is as readily altered as wing coloration in the course of adaptive evolution.The Lepidoptera are one of the four large orders of insects, and their long evolutionary history has produced a wide diversity of families. These exhibit activity patterns that allow them to exploit many habitats, within the constraints of the phytophagous requirement for the larvae of most genera. Especially interesting is the development of diurnal adult activity in a few major lineages and the use of color that this biology makes possible. There is reason to suppose that the rapid evolution of diurnal insectivorous birds in the Cretaceous introduced powerful selection for nocturnicity among all Lepidoptera. Accompanied by substantial unpalatability to those new vertebrate predators, diurnicity has evolved at least 12 times among the extant Lepidoptera. Diurnicity permits the use of color signals on the wings or body in the behavioral ecology of any animal, and in butterflies both colors and the sensitivity to colors are richly developed.Photochemical and physiological studies are revealing great interspecific diversity in the spectral properties of butterfly visual pigments and photoreceptors (1-3). Very little is known, as yet, about how chromatic information is processed by their visual systems (4). How do the sensory capabilities and limitations relate to the requirements of visually mediated behaviors?The "true butterflies" (Papilionoidea) exhibit some species clusters in which several close relatives are basically sympatric ...
A new type of lake and shore assemblage has been found in the Late Triassic age rocks of North Carolina and Virginia (Dan River group). It includes abundant aquatic reptiles, fishes, at least seven orders of insects, crustaceans, and a diverse flora. Cyclic changes in the fauna and flora correlate with sedimentary cycles, which together reflect the repetitive development and extinction of large meromictic lakes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.