 |
General Information Particularities of Coloration |
Two sexes in oneSometimes it happens that one single butterfly shows the males’ pattern on one side and the females’ pattern on the other side. This is particularly conspicuous if the males and females look very different. If a butterfly’s parents come from regions far away from each other it can happen that the butterfly is female first, then it gets male (or the other way round). This is for a genetic reason.
Seasonal dimorphism
Some species having two generations a year (e.g. in spring and autumn) can
also include two different patterns. The butterflies hatching in spring are
brightly colored while the ones hatching in late summer show darker patterns (or
the other way round). The coloration is influenced by temperature, humidity and
the duration of daylight. Here the European Map Butterfly (Araschnia levana)
is shown.
 |
 |
Industrial melanism
Normally the Peppered Moth from Great Britain is white with black dots,
being perfectly camouflaged on white and black patterned trunks. But during the
last years more and more black ones have been found, especially in
industrialized areas. The reason for this is quite simple. On the trunks
blackened by industrial pollution the black ones are harder to see so predators
mainly ate the white ones.
Ultra violet patterns
Some butterflies have ultra violet patterns on their wings that are
invisible for us. They help the butterflies to recognize a partner of the same
species and different sex.
