2012 June

Eyespots in swallowtail caterpillars

Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio xuthus) caterpillars are mimetic as young larvae, which resemble bird droppings, and cryptic in last instar larvae, whose green color provides camouflage on green leaves, but have aposematic eyespots, pictured during the fourth molt, that also deter predation. Microarrays based on EST libraries of larval genes identify candidates for controling the changing cuticular patterns of Papilio larvae.

Taken from: Haruhiko Fujiwara et al., 2012, BMC Biology [View article]

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