A single genetic switch changes butterfly wing color
Thursday, October 25, 2018 - 10:20
in Biology & Nature
Heliconius butterflies are a diverse and colorful group of species that live throughout tropical regions of Central and South America. Many of them have wing patterns and colors that mimic other species to protect themselves from predators, and new research by scientists from the University of Chicago shows that in one species, Heliconius cydno, just one gene controls whether the butterfly has white or yellow spots on its wings.