Reproductive isolation caused by colour pattern mimicry

Chris D. Jiggins (), Russell E. Naisbit, Rebecca L. Coe and James Mallet
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Chris D. Jiggins: The Galton Laboratory, University College London
Russell E. Naisbit: The Galton Laboratory, University College London
Rebecca L. Coe: Downing College, The University of Cambridge
James Mallet: The Galton Laboratory, University College London

Nature, 2001, vol. 411, issue 6835, 302-305

Abstract: Abstract Speciation is facilitated if ecological adaptation directly causes assortative mating1, but few natural examples are known. Here we show that a shift in colour pattern mimicry was crucial in the origin of two butterfly species. The sister species Heliconius melpomene and Heliconius cydno recently diverged to mimic different model taxa, and our experiments show that their mimetic coloration is also important in choosing mates. Assortative mating between the sister species means that hybridization is rare in nature, and the few hybrids that are produced are non-mimetic, poorly adapted intermediates. Thus, the mimetic shift has caused both pre-mating and post-mating isolation. In addition, individuals from a population of H. melpomene allopatric to H. cydno court and mate with H. cydno more readily than those from a sympatric population. This suggests that assortative mating has been enhanced in sympatry.

Date: 2001
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DOI: 10.1038/35077075

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