Captive breeding causes small body size in Morpho peleides limpida (Nymphalidae: Morphinae), May 2009

Alternative Title

La cría en cautiverio causa el tamaño corporal pequeño en Morpho peleides limpida (Nymphalidae: Morphinae)

Creator

Danny Goldish

Files

Publication Date

May 2009

Abstract

Captive breeding has many positive implications in terms of conservation, but when practiced irresponsibly, can result in harmful consequences like inbreeding. Inbreeding has been shown to result in developmental instabilities like small body size and fluctuating asymmetry. In this study, I used small body size as a proxy for inbreeding by comparing measurements of the butterfly Morpho peleides limpida from wild and captive bred populations in terms of right forewing and right antennae length. Both measures of size were found to be larger in wild populations than captive populations. The greatest variation in the means was observed in female right wing measurements, with larger mean lengths in wild populations (76.99mm ± 4.23mm) compared to captive populations (66.58mm ± 2.10mm). This shows that rearing techniques used in butterfly gardens may invoke varying amounts of inbreeding. New measures must be taken to practice more responsible breeding such as ensuring the introduction and maintenance of more genetic variation in captive populations.

Resumen

La cría en cautiverio tiene muchas implicaciones positivas en términos de conservación, pero cuando la practican con irresponsabilidad, puede resultar en consecuencias dañinas como la endogamia. Se ha demostrado que la endogamia puede resultar en inestabilidades en el desarrollo como un cuerpo pequeño y asimetría fluctuante. En este estudio, yo usé el cuerpo pequeño como un aproximado de endogamia comparando medidas del largo del ala derecha y el largo de la antena.

Keywords

Morpho peleides, Inbreeding, Butterflies, CIEE Spring 2009

Palabras claves

Endogamia, Mariposas, CIEE Primavera 2009

Extent

7 pages

Geographic Location

Monteverde (Puntarenas, Costa Rica)

Holding Location

Monteverde Institute

Language

English; Spanish

Media Type

Articles

Format

Digital Only

Identifier

M39-00518

Type

Book

Recommended Citation

Goldish, Danny, "Captive breeding causes small body size in Morpho peleides limpida (Nymphalidae: Morphinae), May 2009" (2009). Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation. 35.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/tropical_ecology/35