Abstract
Distractive marks have been suggested to prevent predator detection or recognition of a prey, by drawing the attention away from recognizable traits of the bearer. The white ‘comma’ on the wings of comma butterflies, Polygonia c-album, has been suggested to represent such a distractive mark. In a laboratory experiment using blue tits, Cyanistes caeruleus, as predators, we show that the comma increased survival, since the blue tits attacked butterflies with overpainted commas more often than sham-painted butterflies with intact commas. In a field experiment we placed hibernating, similarly manipulated, comma butterflies on tree trunks of two different species and noted their survival. Although survival was higher on birch trees than on oak trees, there was no effect of treatment, probably because the butterflies were preyed on by both diurnal and nocturnal predators and the latter are unlikely to attend to small conspicuous markings.
Highlights
Distractive marks have been suggested to prevent predator detection or recognition of a prey, by drawing the attention away from recognizable traits of the bearer
In a laboratory experiment using blue tits, Cyanistes caeruleus, as predators, we show that the comma increased survival, since the blue tits attacked butterflies with overpainted commas more often than sham-painted butterflies with intact commas
Insect defence against predation can usefully be divided into (1) primary defences, which operate before a predator launches an attack, and (2) secondary defences, which operate during an encounter with a predator, typically after the predator has launched its prey capture attempt (Edmunds 1974)
Summary
Distractive marks have been suggested to prevent predator detection or recognition of a prey, by drawing the attention away from recognizable traits of the bearer. Outline may in many situations reveal its presence, thereby making camouflage by means of disruptive coloration, ‘where patterns break up the animal’s appearance and body outline’, more effective (Stevens & Merilaita 2009b, page 481). Another means of avoiding being identified as prey by a predator includes masquerade, by which an insect mimics an inedible object, such as a leaf or a twig, so effectively that it is mistaken for the inedible object itself (Skelhorn et al 2010a, b). To the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated whether a small contrast
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