Phylogeny not mimicry drives chemical variation in tropical aposematic butterflies
Rachel Blow,
Stephanie Ehlers,
Ian Warren
et al.
Abstract: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 thes… Show more
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