Swallowtail butterflies (genus Papilio) have undergone one of the most spectacular radiations in the animal world. With over 200 species and probably twice that many subspecies described, it makes a very diverse taxonomic group. Its members include such large, colorful and prominent species as the Ulysses Swallowtail (Papilio ulysses), Common Yellow Swallowtail (P. machaon), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (P. glaucus), Mocker Swallowtail (Papilio dardanus), and Paris Peacock (P. paris).
Mormon swallowtails (subgenus Menelaides) make up the largest subgenus of Papilio, with ca 50 species (25% of the genus) distributed over the Indo-Australian Region. The geographic mosaic of their distributional ranges is characterized by endemism and diversification in regional hotspots on one hand and subspeciation at sometimes micro-spatial scales on the other. This makes them a promising group in which to study speciation and subspeciation, and biogeographic processes such as dispersal, isolation and vicariance. Many of them also show a spectacular diversity of Batesian mimicry and wing patterns, and the subgenus includes such iconic mimetic species as Papilio memnon, P. polyes and P. aegeus. Mimicry in some species is female-limited and polymorphic, i.e., females in these species are mimetic and appear in several forms, whereas males are monomorphic and non-mimetic, representing ancestral color patterns of the species. This makes them ideal subjects for testing theories of natural, sexual and frequency-dependent selection. Finally, the evolution of mimicry is believed to have driven genome-scale re-arrangements and positive selection on wing-patterning genes, which offer opportunities to study the molecular genetic aspects of evolution. Together, these attributes make mormon swallowtails a model system to study biodiversity
and selection at various scales.
Currently I am working towards building foundations on which to develop Menelaides as a model system to study biogeography, mimicry and speciation. With Felix Sperling and Adam Cotton I am preparing a species-level molecular phylogeny that will cover all the species in this subgenus, with analyses of biogeography, wing color pattern evolution and mimicry closely following. In collaboration with Marcus Kronforst and Sean Mullen I am investigating the genetic basis of female-limited mimicry in Papilo polytes. I am also currently doing or planning several behavioral experiments and field observational studies to test theories about Batesian mimicry, female-limited mimicry, predation and natural selection, and sexual selection using several species of Menelaides. Details and updates will be provided on this page as major projects are completed.
References:
Kunte, K. 2009. The diversity and evolution of Batesian mimicry in Papilio swallowtail butterflies. Evolution, in press. PDF file (444KB, includes a color figure).
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