%0 Journal Article
%T UV biofluorescence in swallowtail butterfly larvae
%J Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment - Wiley Online Library
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2110
%X Animals communicate through various signals, including those produced by bioluminescence. Not all organisms are able to luminesce, but some taxonomic groups such as fish have a higher proportion of bioluminescent (ie lightİ\emitting) species, while numerous arthropods are biofluorescent (ie reflecting light in a different part of the spectrum). Certain insects are bioluminescent while others possess a different attribute: they reflect light in the ultraviolet range and qualify as ultraviolet (UV) biofluorescent, although the purpose of this trait is far from clear. The ultramarine spots on the hind wings of adult Asian swallowtails (Papilio xuthus) exhibit UV biofluorescence, but we found no previous reports of biofluorescence in their caterpillars. During night surveys on October 6, 2018, in Namsan Park, Seoul, South Korea, we observed an Asian swallowtail caterpillar under normal light and under black light (390¨C395 nanometers; Ultraviolet Blacklight Flashlight 51 LED, Escolite; Chicago, USA). The caterpillar's entire body showed biofluorescence, except for the dark markings. Birds are the main predators of caterpillars and typically forage at dawn, when the light shifts to shorter wavelengths, and towards the UV range. UVİ\reflecting patterns on wings of the woodland brown butterfly (Lopinga achine) decrease predation by birds because of the deflective role of marginal eyespots, and UV reflectance by the P xuthus caterpillar may be another example of antiİ\predatory morphology. Alternatively, as UV reflectance in adults is acquired through the caterpillar's diet in pterins, a molecule used for pigments, UV reflectance in the caterpillars may be a side effect of pterinİ\rich diets to ensure fluorescence in adults
%U https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fee.2110