Search

Over a century after the first description of a polymorphism controlled by a supergene, these genetic architectures still puzzle biologists. Supergenes are groups of tightly linked loci facilitating the co-segregation of combinations of alleles underlying alternative, complex adaptive strategies. The suppression of recombination at supergenes is generally caused by polymorphic chromosomal rearrangements, such as inversions. The existence of inversion polymorphisms and supergene raises theoretical and empirical questions. Why do these architectures evolve? How can alternative combinations of alleles be formed? How and why is polymorphism maintained? The purpose of this paper is to provide answers to these questions by reviewing recent advances in the study of Heliconius numata, an Amazonian butterfly displaying a striking diversity of wing color patterns. In a broad context, this review highlights mechanisms that play an important role in the evolution of new genomic architecture and in the adaptation of species.

Parnassius apollo (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae) declines on numerous localities all over Europe. Its local subspecies frankenbergeri, inhabiting the Pieniny Mts (southern Poland) and successfully recovered from extinction, is monophagous in larval stage. In natural conditions, it completes development on the orpine Sedum telephium ssp. maximum. Since proper quality and quantity of necessary nutritional compounds of the food plant ensure developmental success, the digestive processes in the insect midgut should reflect adaptation to a specific food source. The paper presents, for the first time, the activity of detected glycolytic enzymes in midgut tissue and liquid gut contents of the L4 and L5 instars of P. apollo larvae. alpha-Amylase plays the main role in utilization of carbohydrates, contrary to cellulase activity. Saccharase seems to be the main disaccharidase, and high activity of beta-glycosidase enables hydrolysis of the plant glycosides. Trehalase activity was unexpectedly low and comparable to those of cellobiase and lactase. alpha-Amylolytic and other glycolytic activities indicate that larvae utilize starch and other carbohydrate compounds as energy sources. Possible use of some plant allelochemicals as energy sources by Apollo larvae is discussed.

Butterfly pigmentation patterns are one of the most spectacular and vivid examples of pattern formation in biology. They have attracted much attention from experimentalists and theoreticians, who have tried to understand the underlying genetic, chemical and physical processes that lead to patterning. In this paper, we present a brief review of this field by first considering the generation of the localised, eyespot, patterns and then the formation of more globally controlled patterns. We present some new results applied to pattern formation on the wing of the mimetic butterfly Papilio dardanus.