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- Title
The Only Blue Mimeresia (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae: Lipteninae) Uses a Color-Generating Mechanism Widely Applied by Butterflies.
- Authors
Bálint, Zsolt; Sáfián, Szabolcs; Hoskins, Adrian; Kertész, Krisztián; Koós, Antal Adolf; Horváth, Zsolt Endre; Piszter, Gábor; Biró, László Péter
- Abstract
The butterfly Mimeresia neavei (Joicey & Talbot, 1921) is the only species in the exclusively African subtribal clade Mimacraeina (Lipteninae: Lycaenidae: Lepidoptera) having sexual dimorphism expressed by structurally bluecolored male and pigmentary colored orange-red female phenotypes. We investigated the optical mechanism generating the male blue color by various microscopic and experimental methods. It was found that the blue color is produced by the lower lamina of the scale acting as a thin film. This kind of color production is not rare in day-flying Lepidoptera, or in other insect orders. The biological role of the blue color of M. neavei is not yet well understood, as all the other species in the clade lack structural coloration, and have less pronounced sexual dimorphism, and are involved in mimicry-rings.
- Subjects
LEPIDOPTERA; LYCAENIDAE; BUTTERFLIES; INSECT ecology; SPECIES distribution; PHYSIOLOGY; BEHAVIOR
- Publication
Journal of Insect Science, 2018, Vol 18, Issue 3, p1
- ISSN
1536-2442
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/jisesa/iey046