Conspicuous coloration is one of the main ways that animals communicate. The use of eye-catching color patterns to warn predators of an unprofitable trait is referred to as aposematism. Once predators learn to recognize the color pattern, a new signaling niche becomes available where other species can share the same signal. This mimicry niche can involve a “hide in plain sight” strategy by mimicking or parasitizing this signal, with mimics lacking the defense and associated costs that make them unprofitable. This is termed Batesian mimicry, and it decreases predation by taking advantage of the memory and learning of the predator community. Thus, a primary prediction in Batesian mimicry systems is that the model and mimic are found in sympatry. Another, fundamental prediction of Batesian mimicry is that the model outnumbers the mimic and that models emerge before the mimics to educate the predator guild. Some of these patterns were not significant in the California Coast Ranges as seen in Long et al., (2015), and no study has estimated population sizes for this temperate Batesian mimicry system. Furthermore, compared with community studies of mutualistic Müllerian mimicry in the tropics, no studies have tested predictions of parasitic Batesian mimicry on small scale patterns of habitat use and movement patterns. If mimicry is as an important part of the biology of these temperate species, as it is for their tropical counterparts, we predict that in addition to emerging first and being more abundant, the model and mimic will overlap strongly in habitat but the model will be more abundant in each habitat, and will move more and be more widespread among available habitats. Our results confirm these predictions and indicate that A. californica is effectively educating habitat specialist and generalist predators providing an umbrella of protection for the mimic L. lorquini.

Papilio dardanus displays female-limited polymorphic mimicry of multiple model species. Butterfly wing shape is species-specific and can influence mimetic signaling, but has not been characterized in this species. We used elliptical fourier analysis to investigate whether mimetic P. dardanus female forms have converged on the wing shape of their respective models. Although both models and mimics varied in forewing and hind wing shape, we found no evidence of forewing shape convergence between them. Overall, forewings did not differ in shape between sexes in P. dardanus, nor in four non-mimetic Papilio used for comparison. Similarly, there were no hind wing differences between the sexes in the four non-mimetic Papilio. However, P. dardanus hind wings varied significantly between mimetic females and non-mimetic individuals suggesting that, in addition to wing color pattern, the evolution of mimicry has led to changes in hind wing shape in P. dardanus.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第20955号 / 理博第4407号 / 新制||理||1633(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科生物科学専攻 / (主査)教授 曽田 貞滋, 准教授 渡辺 勝敏, 教授 中川 尚史 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

The present PhD thesis comprises four published research papers and two manuscripts in preparation dealing with importace of particular parts of the warning signal in protection of insect prey against avian predators.