Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 101. (Budapest 2009)
Bálint, Zs., Moser, A., Kertész, K., Biró, L. P. & Parker, A. R.: A supposition: structural colours resulting from both natural and sexual selection on an individual wing in the butterfly genus Cyanophrys (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)
Structural colours in Cyanophrys (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) 75 sex as males are perching high in forest edges and control the spaces below for potential mates. Hence males need species dependent signals to detect conspecific females avoiding unnecessary flights, especially in butterfly communities where several species with similar strategies coexist. Therefore female dorsal wing colours cannot be generalized as the ventral wing surfaces. Moreover the females of the three sympatric Brazilian species we examined are not identical regarding the spectral properties of their dorsal wing reflectivity, but C. acaste and C. amyntor females show almost identical spectral peak. We have to remember the highest spectral peak of C. acaste , which gives the clue that in this case most probably there is a strong stress in the pre mating barrier from the male sex because otherwise the two species C. acaste and C. amyntor are obviously differing in their male spectra. This phenomenon calls again the question whether butterfly females are really more attentive just to brighter males (SLLBERGLIED 1984, VANE-WRIGHT 1984, KEMP 2006; versus WLKLUND 2003). If so, it is difficult to explain the spectral diversity of the Lycaenidae faunas ( cf. BÁLINT, H ORVÁTH et al. 2007). More measurements have to be carried out to test whether female dorsal forewing reflectivity play any role in species-specific signalling. Finally we make the remark that higher female reflectivity (female brighter than male) is most probable is related to distance, hence lekking males can spot their mates more effectively. In males of C. remus and C. pseudolongula, and in the female of the latter species, a secondary peak in reflectance occurs at 300 nm. Butterflies are known to possess ultraviolet vision but this is always in the region 350-400 nm (BRUNTON & MAJERUS 1995, TOVÉE 1995), hence the secondary reflectance peaks of C. remus and C. pseudolongula males cannot form visual signals. Moreover the wavelength 300 nm falls in the UV-B region, known to denature DNA and consequently destroy living tissues. This second peak is not artefact, certain structures - the ones in which the layered character is strong (for example in C. remus) - may give the phenomenon of "upper harmonics". This means a smaller amplitude reflectance maximum appearing at higher frequencies, i.e. shorter wavelengths. This is an inherent consequence of the layered structure, usually it is neglected because the small amplitude of this second maximum. These maxima appear in Fig. 22 around 280 nm, in Fig. 23 at 250 nm (black) and around 300 nm (red & blue), in Annls hist.-nat. Mus. natn. hung. 101, 2009
