Flavonoid wing pigments increase attractiveness of female common blue (Polyommatus icarus) butterflies to mate-searching males.
Common blue butterflies (Polyommatus icarus) sequester flavonoids from their larval host plants and allocate these UV-absorbing pigments to the wings. In field experiments using dummies constructed from female butterflies, mate-searching males inspected flavonoid-rich dummies more intensively than those with little or no flavonoids. Flavonoid content as signalled by UV-wing pattern may indicate ontogenetically determined female quality or enhance detectability to males.
Burghardt
F
F
Lehrstuhl Tierökologie I, Universität Bayreuth, Germany.
Knüttel
H
H
Becker
M
M
Fiedler
K
K
D000818:Animals; D002080:Butterflies / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D010858:Pigmentation / Q000528:radiation effects; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014921:Wings, Animal
D005419:Flavonoids