Testing the `Mimicry' Explanation for the Colias `alba' Polymorphism: Patterns of Co-Occurrence of Colias and Pierine Butterflies

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Abstract
It has been suggested that the ''alba female morph of Colias butterflies might be a mimic of white pierine butterflies. It was previously found that no major platability differences exist among Colias, pierines, and other less related butterflies in a Colorado (USA) montane ecosystem, thus ruling out strong mimetic relationships among Colias and the pierines. We now examine the distributions in space and time of these same Colias and pierine species, to determine whether they co-occur sufficiently that any form or strength of mimetic relationship among them is possible. High densities of the pierine genus Pontia co-occur in space and time with Colias alexandra Edwards, which has a very low frequency of the ''alba'' morph, while Pieris itself is negatively correlated in time, though partially overlapping in spce, with Colias scudderi Reakirt, which has a very high frequency of ''alba'' (The pierine Euchloe does not overlap strongly with either Colias in space). This strongly negative association of pierines with ''alba'' frequency in Colias is incompatible with any type of mimetic observations suggest that this negative association extends beyond these particular test species, and that the fitness of ''alba'' may be a negative function of pierine density for at least two reasons.

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