RES: [HELICONIUS] Ithomiinae interspecific hybridization, something I didn't know about

[André Victor]

And the vouchers are here in our Museum!

 

André

 

De: heliconius-bounces at ucl.ac.uk [mailto:heliconius-bounces at ucl.ac.uk] Em
nome de James Mallet
Enviada em: quarta-feira, 15 de dezembro de 2010 14:44
Para: heliconius at ucl.ac.uk
Assunto: [HELICONIUS] Ithomiinae interspecific hybridization, something I
didn't know about

 

Vasconcellos-Neto, J. 1982. Interspecific hybridization in Mechanitis
butterflies (Ithomiinae): a novel pathway for the breakdown of isolating
mechanisms. Biotropica 14:288-294. 

http://www.jstor.org/stable/info/2388088 

A novel pathway is proposed to explain the occasional breakdown of
prezygotic (chemical-courtship) isolating mechanisms in mimetic ithomiine
butterflies (Mechanitis polymnia and M. lysimma) In dense dry-season
populations, mixed groups of males have been observed to court a single
female. She becomes receptive through recognition of the pheromone produced
by the conspecific majority males, but may be mated by a transpecific
minority male in the courting group, leading to accidental interspecific
hybridization. All five interspecific matings observed in Sumare, Sao Paulo,
Brazil, were between a female of the more-abundant species, M. polymnia
casabranca, and a male of the less-abundant M. lysimnia lysimnia. The F1
hybrid can probably backcross to both parental types, as many recombinant
phenotypes are represented in the 48 presumed hybrids known from six
localities, among over 36,500 parental types sampled or marked during seven
years. The small interspecific introgression may occasionally be important
in the evolution of these mimetic butterflies. 

best, j



________________________________

James Mallet
UCL
www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/jim 

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