image: Heliconius erato butterflies display their warning coloration while collecting nectar. The wing patterns of these butterflies serve as “stop signs” for would-be predators, delivering the message “Don’t eat me, I taste bad”. Reed et al. determine that the homebox gene optix drives the evolution of red warning coloration across the genus Heliconius, therefore allowing these butterflies to participate in numerous color pattern mimicry complexes throughout the neotropics. This image relates to an article that appeared in the July 21, 2011, issue of Science Express, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. Robert Reed of University of California, Irvine, and colleagues was titled, "Optix Drives the Repeated Convergent Evolution of Butterfly Wing Pattern Mimicry." view more
Credit: Photo by Markos Guerra, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute