The proximate control of pupal color in swallowtail butterflies: implications for the evolution of environmentally cued pupal color in butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae).

The environmentally cued production of cryptic green/yellow or brown/melanized pupae is widespread in butterflies, occurring in the Nymphalidae, Pieridae, and the Papilionidae subfamily Papilioninae. The dimorphism is controlled by the hormone pupal melanization reducing factor (PMRF). In the nymphalid Inachis io dibutryl cAMP mimics PMRF, and inhibits pupal melanization.