We report on two lady beetle species, Oenopia conglobata (Linnaeus) and Adalia bipunctata (Linnaeus), sympatric in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran, closely resembling each other in coloration. This may be an interesting example of Müllerian mimicry. The putative model, O. conglobata, retains its typical pink elytral background with 16 black spots, whereas the locally most common form (forma fasciatopunctata) of the polymorphic mimic, A. bipunctata, exhibits a similar pink background that is otherwise absent in the species. This pink coloration is achieved by a small amount of red pigments deposited over the white color of the lower layer of the elytra.
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25 March 2020
Potential Müllerian Mimicry between Adalia bipunctata (Linnaeus) and Oenopia conglobata (Linnaeus) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in Iran
Oldřich Nedvěd,
Amir Biranvand,
Jahanshir Shakarami,
Derya Şenal
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The Coleopterists Bulletin
Vol. 74 • No. 1
March 2020
Vol. 74 • No. 1
March 2020
aposematism
carotenoid
heterozygote
incomplete dominance
lady beetle
melanin
selection