Genetics of the mimetic African butterfly Hypolimnas misippus: hindwing polymorphism
Abstract
The hindwing polymorphism in Hypolimnas misippus is autosomal but sex-limited to the female. It is characterised by three intergrading phenotypes, orange, low white (white in 1–3 intervein spaces) and high white (white in 4–8 spaces). A rare morph has variable melanic scaling, almost invariably in combination with high white. Orange and high white segregate as expected if they are allelic at the A (alcippoides) locus, A giving high white and a orange when homozygous. A postulated S locus also has two alleles, S which suppresses high white in A– genotypes (to low white or orange) and s which is a null allele. The A alleles interact with the M (misippus) locus to affect the forewing: AA/mm (f. alcippoides) has a "misippus" forewing, aa/mm is f. inaria and Aa/mm intermediate (f. immima). The dominant M allele is epistatic to A so that all M– genotypes have "misippus" forewings. Either a rare dominant gene B (black), or a third, top dominant A allele, Am, gives black scaling with high white in the otherwise orange area of the hindwing. The three or four controlling loci all segregate independently.
Citation
Heredity (1989) 63, 409–425Publisher
University of Nairobi,
Description
Article