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perennialfan273

Color variation in butterflies/moths

perennialfan273
12 years ago

I've noticed that in many butterfly and moth species, there is a lot of variation in the colors of the butterflies/moths (and their caterpillars sometimes). I was wondering if the food that the caterpillars eat affect the color that they will be (and the butterflies/moths they turn into later)?

One excellent example is the promethea moth. In the first photo you'll see, it has a reddish pink color to it. In the second one, however, it looks almost black. Also, I claim no ownership of these photos. I'm merely posting links to them as a reference.

http://www.kevincollison.com/images/breeding/breeding_Female_Promethea_Moth.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anitagould/143278022/in/gallery-writtersrightword-72157622944609216/

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