Peppered moth
species of insect
The peppered moth (Biston betularia) is a species of night-flying moth. They are often used by educators as an example of natural selection: see peppered moth evolution.
Peppered moth | |
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Biston betularia betularia morpha typica | |
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
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Biston betularia |
The caterpillars of the peppered moth mimic the form and also the colour of the twig they rest on. The caterpillars can sense the twig’s colour with their skin and match their body colour to the background to protect themselves from predators.[1]
References
change- ↑ Eacock A., Rowland H.R., van’t Hof A.E., Yung C., Edmonds N., Saccheri I.J (2019). "Caterpillars of the peppered moth perceive color through their skin to match their body color to the background". Archived from the original on 2019-08-05. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
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