Both Palatable and Unpalatable Butterflies Use Bright Colors to Signal Difficulty of Capture to Predators

Neotropical Entomology
C E G PinheiroC M Penz

Abstract

Birds are able to recognize and learn to avoid attacking unpalatable, chemically defended butterflies after unpleasant experiences with them. It has also been suggested that birds learn to avoid prey that are efficient at escaping. This, however, remains poorly documented. Here, we argue that butterflies may utilize a variety of escape tactics against insectivorous birds and review evidence that birds avoid attacking butterflies that are hard to catch. We suggest that signaling difficulty of capture to predators is a widespread phenomenon in butterflies, and this ability may not be limited to palatable butterflies. The possibility that both palatable and unpalatable species signal difficulty of capture has not been fully explored, but helps explain the existence of aposematic coloration and escape mimicry in butterflies lacking defensive chemicals. This possibility may also change the role that putative Müllerian and Batesian mimics play in a variety of classical mimicry rings, thus opening new perspectives in the evolution of mimicry in butterflies.

References

Jul 5, 1974·Nature·D O Gibson
May 4, 2004·The American Naturalist·John A Endler, Johanna Mappes
Oct 14, 2005·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Martin Stevens
May 17, 2006·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Johanna MappesJohn A Endler
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Oct 1, 2014·Neotropical Entomology·C E G Pinheiro, A V L Freitas

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Citations

Aug 21, 2019·PeerJ·Vivek Philip Cyriac, Ullasa Kodandaramaiah
Mar 5, 2020·Ecology and Evolution·Eunice J TanAntónia Monteiro
Oct 30, 2020·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·Violaine LlaurensVincent Debat
Mar 5, 2021·Scientific Reports·Irina Birskis-BarrosPaulo R Guimarães
Mar 16, 2021·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Erika PáezJohanna Mappes

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