Our paper on the inheritance and evolution of color signals in snakes was just published in the journal Evolution! Theoretically, evolutionary forces should drive linkage between signal components for animals that are Batesian mimics. This is because expression of a only some of the signal components would result in a conspicuous non-mimic with low fitness. We conducted extensive sampling (over 2100 snakes) of color pattern in natural history collections for a polymorphic coral snake mimic (ground snakes, (Sonora semiannulata). Surprisingly, we found no evidence for linkage between the two color components (red and black pigmentation) in this species. These findings suggest that the dynamics of coral snake mimicry are different than other Batesian systems, and could be linked to rapid color evolution in coral snake mimicry complexes.
Check out the link below to read the paper:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evo.12902/abstract
Check out the link below to read the paper:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evo.12902/abstract