Clearwing butterflies challenge the thermal melanism hypothesis
V. Ossola, F. Pottier, C. Pinna, K. Bougiouri, A. Tournie, A. Michelin, C. Andraud, D. Gomez, M. Elias
The paper challenges the thermal melanism hypothesis by showing that transparent wings in Ithomiini butterflies are less efficient at absorbing light and heat, and that transparency increases with altitude, contrary to the hypothesis prediction.
bioRxiv · Jul 31, 2023 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology