Vertical distribution, flight behaviour and evolution of wing morphology in Morpho butterflies

摘要: 1. Flight is a key innovation in the evolution of insects that crucial to their dispersal, migration, territoriality, courtship and predator avoidance. Male butterflies have characteristic territoriality flight behaviours, females use behaviour when searching for host plants. This implies selection acts on wing morphology maximize performance conducting important behaviours among sexes. 2. Butterflies genus Morpho are obvious components neotropical forests, many observations indicate they show two broad categories height. Although species can be categorized as using gliding or flapping flight, flying at either canopy understorey height, association height with shape has never been explored. 3. Two clades within differ Males one clade inhabit forest whereas other clade, males level both understorey. 4. We used independent contrasts answer whether associated Given single switch habitation we compared node which occurred distribution values focal clades. found significant changes transition only males, no change size sex. A second suggests factors may also involved evolution. Our results reinforce hypothesis natural differently male female butterfly cannot explain all diversity Morpho. 5. study provides starting point characterizing contexts habitat behaviour. Further, these suggest exploring help understand effects destruction biological diversity.