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SPECIALIZED AVIAN PREDATORS REPEATEDLY ATTACK NOVEL COLOR MORPHS OF HELICONIUS BUTTERFLIES
Author(s) -
Langham Gary M.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.84
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1558-5646
pISSN - 0014-3820
DOI - 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2004.tb01629.x
Subject(s) - biology , heliconius , aposematism , müllerian mimicry , mimicry , nymphalidae , predation , predator , batesian mimicry , butterfly , evolutionary biology , zoology , ecology
The persistence of Müllerian mimicry and geographically distinct wing patterns, as observed in many, Heliconius species (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), is difficult to explain from a predator's perspective: predator selection against locally rare patterns must persist despite avoidance learning. Maintaining spatial color‐pattern polymorphism requires local pattern avoidance, fine‐scale discrimination among similar wing patterns, and repeated attacks on novel color patterns. I tested for these behaviors by presenting 80 adult rufous‐tailed jacamars ( Galbula ruficauda ) with three morphs of Heliconius butterflies, and then presenting the same suite of butterflies to 46 of these jacamars between four and 429 days later. These trials offer the first direct evidence of the selective predator behavior required to maintain aposematic polymorphism: jacamars avoid local aposematic morphs while repeatedly attacking similar but novel morphs over time.