detectability of the colour pattern in the aposematic firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus: an image‐based experiment with human ‘predators’

• Published in: Biological journal of the Linnean Society Vol. 105; no. 4; pp. 806 - 816
• Main Authors: BOHLIN, TITTI, GAMBERALE‐STILLE, GABRIELLA, MERILAITA, SAMI, EXNEROVÁ, ALICE, ŠTYS, PAVEL, TULLBERG, BIRGITTA S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2012
• Subjects: Aposematism; color; crypsis; distance dependent; habitats; human subjects; humans; natural backgrounds; phenotype; predation; predators; prey coloration; Pyrrhocoris apterus; warning coloration

Crypsis and aposematism are often regarded as two opposite protective strategies. However, there is large variation in prey appearance within both strategies. In this article, we investigated the conspicuousness of the aposematic red‐and‐black firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, by presenting images of na...