Chemical defence of the warningly coloured caterpillars of Methona themisto (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Ithomiinae)

Massuda, Kamila Ferreira; Trigo, José Roberto

doi:10.14411/eje.2009.033

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Contrastingly, we do not find the same diversity of compounds in the closely-related species Aeria eurimedia, which also feeds on, but does not sequester compounds from, Apocynaceae larval host plants (José Roberto Trigo & Brown, 1990;Willmott & Freitas, 2006). Neither did we detect the same diversity of compounds in the androconial extracts of Methona species, which belong to the same early-diverging subtribe as Tithorea and Aeria (Tithoreina) and are suspected to sequester toxic compounds, from Solanaceae larval host plants Massuda & Trigo, 2009). Increased Tithorea blend complexity in may therefore also be associated with the ability to sequester from Apocynaceae plants.…”

Section: Species-specific Compounds For Conspecific Recognitioncontrasting

confidence: 97%

Phylogeny not mimicry drives chemical variation in tropical aposematic butterflies

Blow,

Ehlers,

Warren

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chemical signals serve a vast array of functions for both intra- and interspecific communication and defence. Chemically defended, aposematic insects will advertise their noxiousness to predators with warning signals and it has been suggested that volatile compounds shared between species could send a common signal to deter avian predators, similar to colour pattern mimicry. This is exemplified in the bright, mimetic warning colours of toxic heliconiine and ithomiine butterflies. Besides defence, males in these groups also use chemicals to communicate with potential female mates and male competitors. Here, we characterise chemical profiles of male Heliconiini and Ithomiini species from a range of mimicry rings. We find that chemical distances between species are not associated with mimicry and instead show a strong phylogenetic signal. In addition, we show that the distribution of specific shared compounds does not correlate with mimicry. We propose chemical signals in these groups are primarily used for intraspecific communication and highlight the potential selective mechanisms driving chemical profile evolution, such as selection for species-specific pheromone concentrations and collective male deterrent compounds. Our findings imply that chemical profile variation among butterfly species is the product of shared ancestry. However, more research is required on the behavioural significance of compounds among butterflies and predator perception of olfactory warning signals to identify which selective pressures are exerted on specific chemical traits.

show abstract

Section: Species-specific Compounds For Conspecific Recognitioncontrasting

confidence: 97%

Phylogeny not mimicry drives chemical variation in tropical aposematic butterflies

Blow,

Ehlers,

Warren

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, no PAs were found in M. confusa, despite being strongly unpalatable, and some species may therefore also sequester other chemical compounds from their Solanaceae or Gesneriaceae host plants. In support of this, larvae of another Methona species (M. themisto) were found to elicit aversive reactions in chicks, suggesting that they contain chemical defences that are potentially sequestered from their host plants [59]. In those species that sequester other toxic compounds, collecting PAs as adults may provide additional protection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Why has transparency evolved in aposematic butterflies? Insights from the largest radiation of aposematic butterflies, the Ithomiini

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Defended species are often conspicuous and this is thought to be an honest signal of defences, i.e. more toxic prey are more conspicuous. Neotropical butterflies of the large Ithomiini tribe numerically dominate communities of chemically defended butterflies and may thus drive the evolution of mimetic warning patterns. Although many species are brightly coloured, most are transparent to some degree. The evolution of transparency from a warning-coloured ancestor is puzzling as it is generally assumed to be involved in concealment. Here, we show that transparent Ithomiini species are indeed less detectable by avian predators (i.e. concealment). Surprisingly, transparent species are not any less unpalatable, and may in fact be more unpalatable than opaque species, the latter spanning a larger range of unpalatability. We put forth various hypotheses to explain the evolution of weak aposematic signals in these butterflies and other cryptic defended prey. Our study is an important step in determining the selective pressures and constraints that regulate the interaction between conspicuousness and unpalatability.

show abstract

“…1s-F in supplementary material). Furthermore, in another species cosidered protedted by aposematism, it has been documented that the larvae have others morphological defenses that deter ant (de la Fuente et al, 1994(de la Fuente et al, /1995Dyer, 1997;Massuda and Trigo, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of the aposematic Eumaeus childrenae caterpillars against invertebrate predators under field conditions

Ruiz-García

2020

Anim. Biodiv. Conserv.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Effectiveness of the aposematic Eumaeus childrenae caterpillars against invertebrate predators under field conditions. Eumaeus childrenae (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) caterpillars are specialist herbivores that feed on Dioon holmgrenii (Cycadacea). They are a well-documented case of chemical protection by sequestering cycasin and related compounds from their host. In this study we evaluated the effectiveness of aposematic defenses against chemical and visual invertebrate predators in wild populations of E. childrenae reared on D. holmgrenii. The results from field experiments indicated that the estimated survival and the intrinsic rate of increase in cohorts with predator exclusion were twice those in cohorts without predator exclusion. The visually oriented predators observed were Mischocyttarus wasps and assassin bugs, and the chemically oriented predators were Wasmannia, Crematogaster and Ectatomma ants. Other mortality factors observed were egg cannibalism, nuclear polyhedrosis virus and, reported for the first time, larval parasitism by fly larvae and a fungus. ResumenEficacia de las orugas aposemáticas de Eumaeus childrenae contra depredadores invertebrados en el medio natural. Las orugas de Eumaeus childrenae (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) son herbívoros especialistas que se alimentan de Dioon holmgrenii (Cycadacea). Constituyen un caso bien documentado de protección química mediante el secuestro de cicasina y de compuestos relacionados de su hospedante. En este estudio evaluamos la eficacia del aposematismo contra depredadores invertebrados con mecanismos químicos y visuales de caza en una población silvestre de E. childrenae criada en D. holmgrenii. Los resultados de los experimentos de campo indican que la supervivencia estimada y la tasa de cambio intrínseca fueron el doble en las cohortes con exclusión de depredadores que en aquellas donde no se excluyó a los depredadores. Los depredadores con mecanismos de caza visual observados fueron avispas del género Mischocyttarus sp. y chinches, mientras que los depredadores con mecanismos químicos de caza fueron varias especies de hormigas de los géneros Wasmannia, Crematogaster y Ectatomma. Otros factores de mortalidad observados fueron el canibalismo de huevos, el virus de la poliedrosis nuclear y el parasitismo de las larvas por larvas de moscas y un hongo, que se observan por primera vez.

show abstract

Chemical defence of the warningly coloured caterpillars of Methona themisto (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Ithomiinae)

Cited by 9 publications

References 43 publications

Phylogeny not mimicry drives chemical variation in tropical aposematic butterflies

Phylogeny not mimicry drives chemical variation in tropical aposematic butterflies

Why has transparency evolved in aposematic butterflies? Insights from the largest radiation of aposematic butterflies, the Ithomiini

Effectiveness of the aposematic Eumaeus childrenae caterpillars against invertebrate predators under field conditions

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About