Data from: Behavioural mimicry in flight path of Batesian intraspecific polymorphic butterfly Papilio polytes

Batesian mimics that show similar coloration to unpalatable models gain a fitness advantage of reduced predation. Beyond physical similarity, mimics often exhibit behaviour similar to their models, further enhancing their protection against predation by mimicking not only the model's physical appearance but also activity. In butterflies, there is a strong correlation between palatability and flight velocity, but there is only weak correlation between palatability and flight path. Little is known about how Batesian mimics fly. Here, we explored the flight behaviour of four butterfly species/morphs: unpalatable model Pachliopta aristolochiae, mimetic and non-mimetic females of female-limited mimic Papilio polytes, and palatable control Papilio xuthus. We demonstrated that the directional change (DC) generated by wingbeats and the standard deviation of directional change (SDDC) of mimetic females and their models were smaller than those of non-mimetic females and palatable controls. Furthermore, we found no significant difference in flight velocity among all species/morphs. By showing that DC and SDDC of mimetic females resemble those of models, we provide the first evidence for the existence of behavioural mimicry in flight path by a Batesian mimic butterfly.贝茨拟态者（Batesian mimic）若呈现与不可食模型相似的体色，便可获得被捕食率降低的适合度优势。除形态相似性外，拟态者通常还会展现出与模型相近的行为，通过同时模拟模型的外形与活动模式，进一步提升自身的反捕食保护能力。在蝶类中，适口性与飞行速度存在较强相关性，但与飞行路径的相关性却较弱。目前学界对贝茨拟态者的飞行行为尚缺乏充分了解。本研究针对4种蝴蝶类群/形态展开飞行行为探究：不可食模型种麝凤蝶（Pachliopta aristolochiae）、雌性限制型拟态玉带凤蝶（Papilio polytes）的拟态雌性与非拟态雌性，以及适口性对照种柑橘凤蝶（Papilio xuthus）。研究结果显示，拟态雌性及其模型的振翅产生的方向变化（directional change, DC）与方向变化标准差（standard deviation of directional change, SDDC）均小于非拟态雌性与适口性对照种。此外，所有类群/形态间的飞行速度未表现出显著差异。本研究证实拟态雌性的DC与SDDC与模型相似，首次为贝茨拟态蝶类在飞行路径上存在行为拟态提供了实验证据。