Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK.
J Chem Ecol. 1986 Jan;12(1):49-68. doi: 10.1007/BF01045590.
Melanargia galathea L. from four different populations were classified into three categories, white, cream, and yellow, according to the background color of their wings. The flavonoid content of the wing and body tissues of butterflies in each of these categories was spectrophotometrically determined. A direct relationship was found between the wing background color and the flavonoid content of the wings; the greater the flavonoid content, the yellower the wings. Butterflies from the yellow category contained an average of 19.6 μg flavone/mg wing tissue; those from the cream, an average of 14.1 μg/mg tissue; and those from the white an average of 8.3 μg/mg wing tissue. Flavonoids represent on average about 1.9% by weight of the yellow wings; 1.4% of the cream wings; and about 0.8% by weight of the white wings. The most frequently encountered wing background color in each of the populations examined was cream; far fewer individuals had white or yellow wings. Flavonoids were not evenly distributed in the wings ofM. galathea; greater quantities occur on the underside of the hindwings and front margins of the forewings, while the ocelli centers of the underside of the hindwings, and the inner margins on the upperside of the hindwings lack flavonoids. Furthermore, flavonoids were found in the white scales ofM. galathea but not in the black. The flavonoid content of the body ofM. galathea was found to be much lower than that of the wings. When expressed as a percentage of that in the wings, the flavonoid content of the body of both sexes was relatively constant; however, the flavonoid content of the female body represents on average about 59% of that in the wings, compared to about 20% in the male. Both the gross flavonoid content and the flavone concentration per milligram of tissue were found to be greater in female than male butterflies. Since the concentration of flavone per cm(2) of wing tissue was the same in both sexes, the greater flavonoid content of female than maleM. galathea has been attributed to the deposition of relatively large quantities in the reproductive tissues of the female. The possible role(s) of flavonoid pigments in wing coloration, in protecting vulnerable tissues from damaging ultraviolet radiation, in mate selection and/or sex recognition, in insect defense against vertebrate predators, and as antimicrobial agents inM. galathea has been discussed.
根据翅膀背景颜色，来自四个不同种群的 melanargia galathea L. 被分为白色、奶油色和黄色三类。通过分光光度法测定了这些类别的蝴蝶翅膀和身体组织中的类黄酮含量。发现翅膀的背景颜色与类黄酮含量之间存在直接关系；类黄酮含量越高，翅膀越黄。黄色类别的蝴蝶平均每毫克翅膀组织含有 19.6μg 黄酮；奶油色的平均为 14.1μg/mg 组织；白色的平均为 8.3μg/mg 翅膀组织。类黄酮平均占黄色翅膀重量的 1.9%；奶油色翅膀的 1.4%；白色翅膀的 0.8%左右。在所研究的每个种群中，最常见的翅膀背景颜色是奶油色；白色或黄色翅膀的个体要少得多。类黄酮在 melanargia galathea 的翅膀中分布不均匀；更多的类黄酮存在于后翅的下侧和前翅的前缘，而后翅下侧的眼斑中心和后翅上侧的内缘则缺乏类黄酮。此外，在 melanargia galathea 的白色鳞片中发现了类黄酮，但在黑色鳞片中没有发现。还发现 melanargia galathea 身体的类黄酮含量远低于翅膀。当以翅膀类黄酮含量的百分比表示时，两性的身体类黄酮含量相对稳定；然而，雌性身体的类黄酮含量平均约为翅膀的 59%，而雄性则约为 20%。与雄性蝴蝶相比，雌性蝴蝶的总类黄酮含量和每毫克组织的黄酮浓度都更高。由于两性蝴蝶翅膀组织每平方厘米的黄酮浓度相同，因此雌性 melanargia galathea 比雄性含有更多的类黄酮，这归因于雌性生殖组织中相对大量的沉积。讨论了类黄酮色素在翅膀颜色形成中的作用、在保护易受伤害的组织免受破坏性紫外线辐射、在配偶选择和/或性别识别、在昆虫防御脊椎动物捕食者以及作为抗菌剂在 melanargia galathea 中的作用。
