Microhabitat segregation in mimetic ithomiine butterflies

ORCID

Dr. Ryan Hill: 0000-0001-8513-6545

Document Type

Conference Presentation

Department

Biological Sciences

Conference Title

Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) annual meeting

Location

San Antonio, TX

Conference Dates

January 2-6, 2008

Date of Presentation

1-4-2008

Abstract

Lowland neotropical butterfly faunas exhibit many “mimicry rings”, in which species from many genera and families share a similar aposematic color pattern. Multiple mimetic patterns is contrary to Müllerian mimicry theory in which unpalatable species share a common warning pattern. Explanations for this diversity have focused on ecological differences among species belonging to different mimicry rings, however the relative contribution of behavioral and microhabitat variables has not been addressed. In this study, microhabitat distribution of ithomiine butterflies is investigated to answer whether they are segregated by microhabitat. Discriminant analysis with five microhabitat variables demonstrates segregation among color patterns, supporting traditional perspectives on coexistence of multiple mimicry rings.

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