Presence of a cerebral factor showing summer-morph-producing hormone activity in the brain of the seasonal non-polyphenic butterflies Vanessa cardui, V. indica and Nymphalis xanthomelas japonica (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)

• 来源期刊: 中国昆虫科学（英文版）
• 关键词: Nymphalis xanthomelas japonica seasonal non-polyphenic butterfly seasonalpolyphenism summer-morph-producing hormone Vanessa cardui wing coloration
• 年，卷（期）: 2009,（2）
• 页码范围: 125-130
• 页数: 6页
• 语种: 英文
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7917.2009.00263.x

摘要

Three speciesofnymphalidbutterflies, Vanessacardui, V. indica and Nymphalis xanthomelas japonica, do not exhibit seasonal polyphenism in wing coloration. To deter-mine whether seasonal non-polyphenic butterflies possess a cerebral factor affecting wing coloration, we used a Polygonia c-aureum female short-day pupal assay for detection of summer-morph-producing hormone (SMPH) activity in P. c-aureum. When 2% NaCl extracts of 25 brain-equivalents prepared from the pupal brains of V. cardui, V. indica or N. xanthomelas japonica were injected into Polygonia female short-day pupae, all recipients developed into summer-morph adults with dark-yellow wings, and the average grade score (AGS) of summer morphs showing SMPH activity was 3.8, 3.7 and 4.0, respectively. In contrast, when acetone or 80% ethanol extracts prepared from pupal brains were injected into Polygonia pupae, all recipients developed into autumn-morph adults with a dark-brown coloration and each exhibited an AGS of less than 0.5. Our results indicate that a cerebral factor showing SMPH activity is present in the pupal brain of seasonal non-polyphenic nymphalid butterflies, suggesting that a SMPH and cerebral factor showing SMPH activity occur widely among butterfly species. This finding will improve our understanding of the presence of cerebral factors showing interspecific actions of SHPH.