PARENT SESSION
Thursday, August 10, 5:00-6:30 pm
Poster Session 22 - Invertebrate and pollination ecology
Exhibit Hall, Ballroom Level, Cook Convention Center
Are low latitude butterflies really more colorful?
June-Wells, Mark*,1, Adams, Jonathan1, Cheng , Shouxian 2, Weintraub, Jason3, 1 Rutgers University Newark, Newark, NJ2 New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ3 Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA
ABSTRACT- It is a common belief among scientists and laymen alike that tropical species are more colorful than their temperate counterparts. To test this theory we have sampled macrolepidopteran species from temperate (ME) and subtropical (FL) North America. Digital photographs were taken of well-preserved museum specimens from the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, PA and the Museum of Natural History in NY, NY. The digital pictures were analyzed using a specially written color analysis program, which measured the mean and standard deviation of hue, saturation, and intensity color characteristics of the color-patterns residing on the dorsal wing and body surface of our test-group specimens. Our results indicate that the widely accepted belief may indeed be false. Our two test groups exhibited no significant differences in mean hue or saturation; however, temperate species had significantly higher color intensity, indicating that temperate species may actually express brighter colors independent of color hue. Moreover, the two regional test-groups did not exhibit any significant difference in the SD of hue, saturation, or intensity; indicating that subtropical species may not have more complex mosaics of colors on their dorsal wing and body surfaces. These results are interesting in that they negate the widely accepted hypothesis. However, it is not a definitive answer to the question. Currently, more research is being conducted examining the color patterns of true tropical and temperate species.
Key words: Biogeography, Macrolepidoptera, Color Analysis