Data from: Facultative pupal mating in Heliconius erato: implications for mate choice, female preference, and speciation

Mating systems have broad impacts on how sexual selection and mate choice operate within a species, but studies of mating behavior in the laboratory may not reflect how these processes occur in the wild. Here, we examined the mating behavior of the neotropical butterfly Heliconius erato in the field by releasing larvae and virgin females and observing how they mated. H. erato is considered a pupal-mating species (i.e., males mate with females as they emerge from the pupal case). However, we observed only two teneral mating events, and experimentally released virgins were almost all mated upon recapture. Our study confirms the presence of some pupal-mating behavior in H. erato, but suggests that adult mating is likely the prevalent mating strategy in this species. These findings have important implications for the role of color pattern and female mate choice in the generation of reproductive isolation in this diverse genus.交配系统对物种内性选择与配偶选择的运作机制具有广泛影响，然而实验室中的交配行为研究往往无法反映这些过程在自然环境中的真实表现。本研究通过野外释放幼虫与处女雌蝶，并观测其交配行为，对新热带区蝴蝶红带袖蝶（Heliconius erato）的交配模式展开了实地考察。红带袖蝶此前被归类为蛹期交配类群，即雄蝶会在雌蝶破蛹羽化之际完成交配。但本研究仅记录到2次初羽化阶段的交配事件，且野外释放的处女雌蝶在再次捕获时几乎均已完成交配。本研究证实红带袖蝶确实存在一定比例的蛹期交配行为，但同时表明成虫期交配或许是该物种更为主流的交配策略。上述发现对于理解该多样蝶属中，体色图案与雌性配偶选择在生殖隔离形成过程中的作用具有重要学术启示。