During development, specialized cells produce signals that distribute among receiving cells
to induce a variety of cellular behaviors and organize tissues. Recent studies have …

Simple Summary Eyespot foci on butterfly wings function as organizers for eyespot color
patterns during development. Here, we microscopically examined the scales, sockets, and …

The diversity in the color patterns of butterfly wings is one of the most spectacular and
mysterious puzzles of and unsolved problems in nature. Most of the 15,000 or so species of …

Background One hypothesis surrounding the origin of novel traits is that they originate from
the co-option of pre-existing genes or larger gene regulatory networks into novel …

Abstract Two genes, Distal-less (Dll) and spalt (sal), are known to be involved in establishing
nymphalid butterfly wing patterns. They function in several ways: in the differentiation of the …

Simple Summary Chitin is the major component in the extracellular cuticle and plays
multiple roles in insects. In butterflies, chitin contributes to the development of scales and …

Butterfly wing eyespots are developmentally determined at the early pupal stage, when
prospective eyespot focal cells underneath the pupal cuticle focal spot function as eyespot …

Protein delivery to cells in vivo has great potential for the functional analysis of proteins in
nonmodel organisms. In this study, using the butterfly wing system, we investigated a …

Delineating species boundaries in phylogenetic groups undergoing recent radiation is a
daunting challenge akin to discretizing continuity. Here, we propose a general approach …

Background Eyespot color pattern formation on butterfly wings is sensitive to physical
damage and physical distortion as well as physical contact with materials on the surface of …