|
|
 37 aposematic beetle DHJanzen100276.jpg high resolution
|
|
| When the larvae of the chrysomeline chrysomelid beetles (so ostentatious on the upper leaf surface in image DHJanzen100275.jpg above) eclose as adults, the adults continue their life of feeding and mating directly on the milkweed plant and are colored as expected. An unaddressed question is whether the pupa (non-feeding) is also brightly colored and protected by secondary compounds sequestered during the larval stage, or cryptic and then the adult newly acquires its defenses through further feeding as an adult. | ||
back to lecture slides
or skip to: