Abstract
The morphological boundaries between Arbutus xalapensis and A. glandulosa are diffuse. Many individuals share traits of both species. The character most commonly used to distinguish the species is the presence of glandular hairs in A. glandulosa. Comparisons in the field of the number of colonies and level of defoliation by Eucheira socialis (Lepidoptera, Pieridae), an Arbutus‐specific herbivore, showed that the damage is greater for glabrous than pilose trees and greater for pilose than glandular trees. Additionally, the geographic distribution of glandular trees is strongly correlated with that of E. socialis while that of non‐glandular trees is not. We suggest that the glandular and non‐glandular forms could belong to one single polymorphic species in which the glandular characteristic is maintained by differential herbivory.
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