UV bullseye contrast of Hemerocallis flowers attracts hawkmoths but not swallowtail butterflies.

ABSTRACT: The color and patterns of animal-pollinated flowers are known to have effects on pollinator attraction. In this study, the relative importance of flower color and color contrast patterns on pollinator attraction was examined in two pollinator groups, swallowtail butterflies and hawkmoths using two Hemerocallis species; butterfly-pollinated H. fulva and hawkmoth-pollinated H. citrina, having reddish and yellowish flowers in human vision, respectively. Flowers of both species have UV bullseye patterns, composed of UV-absorbing centers and UV-reflecting peripheries, known to function as a typical nectar guide, but UV reflectance was significantly more intense in the peripheries of H. citrina flowers than in those of H. fulva flowers. Comparison based on the

SUBMITTER: Hirota SK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6342183 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature