PATTERN INDUCTION ACROSS A HOMEOTIC BOUNDARY IN THE WINGS OF PRECIS-COENIA (HBN) (LEPIDOPTERA, NYMPHALIDAE)

We report on a series of homeotic transformations in the buckeye butte rfly, Precis coenia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), in which portions of t he ventral hind wing were transformed and acquired the pigmentation, c olor pattern, and scale structure of homologous areas of the ventral f ore wing. All homeotic transformations were restricted to the posterio r half of the ventral hind wing. When a transformed region included th e source cells responsible for inducing the large eyespot on the fore wing, a nearly complete eyespot developed that was a composite of fore wing and hind wing tissues. The dimensions and pigmentation of these eyespots show that pattern induction and integration of the developmen t of a complex pattern element occurred across the homeotic boundary. Interaction between homeotic and non-transformed areas was also eviden t in the region of the distal band of the central symmetry system. Seg ments of the band that occurred within transformed tissues became smoo thly aligned with their counterparts in the adjoining non-transformed portion of the wing. Our results show that eyespot-organizing centers from the fore wing can induce normal eyespots in hind wing tissue, and vice versa, suggesting that both fore wing and hind wing eyespots are induced by identical processes.