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 39 phenology of wing color DHJanzen100632.jpg high resolution
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| How does the moth match its color patterns to the seasons? The dry season ends quite abruptly following the beginning of the rains. Here the temperature building up with the dry season rainless days is evident, followed by an abrupt plumet of temperature when the rains start, sort of a gigantic air-conditioning effect. In some mysterious way, the Rothschildia lebeau pupae dormant in their cocoons perceive the pending end of the dry season and begin to eclose a few days BEFORE the temperature drop caused by the first rains. These moths are all bright rusty red/orange in color. Their development from dormant pupa to an adult that is going to eclose began 1-2 weeks before they actually eclose, which means at the hottest time of the year. Something about that heat triggers the physiology that produces rusty red/orange wing colors. Then, as the world cools through rain, these cooler temperatures trigger the production of dark chocolate-colored wings. While this happens in nature, the effect can be duplicated in the laboratory, which is what I was doing when I put the cage of cocoons, in the middle of the rainy season, directly under the heating effect of the skylight of the house. | ||
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