Vertical stratification of ithomiine butterfly (Nymphalidae: Ithomiinae) mimicry complexes: the relationship between adult flight height and larval host–plant height

Abstract

Data are presented which confirm previous findings that sympatric mimicry complexes dominated by unpalatable Neotropical ithomiine butterflies (Nymphalidae: Ithomiinae) are vertically stratified by height of flight. Flight height of ithomiine species is positively correlated with the height of their larval host-plants. Thus members of a mimicry complex utilize host-plants of similar heights. Non-mimetic British woodland butterflies also show a positive relationship between flight height and host-plant height, which suggests that the relationship is independent of mimicry. I propose that female butterflies fly at heights which maximize the probability of encountering their larval host-plants, and that males fly at similar heights to females in order to maximize the probability of encountering potential mates. Female butterflies probably encounter plants of similar heights to their larval hosts more frequently than they encounter plants of other heights. I suggest that butterfly species may therefore be more likely to make host shifts to plant species of a similar height to their current host-plants. Finally, I discuss how the relationship between flight height and height of larval host-plants, coupled with microhabitat-dependent selection on colour pattern, could lead to the evolution in sympatry of vertically stratified mimicry complexes.