Hard to believe they’re the same species (Image: Ralph A. Clevenger/Corbis)
WHAT child’s imagination has not been captivated by the near-magical transformation that caterpillars undergo to become butterflies? This is the result of an ancient hybridisation between an insect and a worm-like animal, according to zoologist Donald Williamson, and now he says there is enough genetic information to test the theory.
Unfortunately for Williamson, now retired from the University of Liverpool, UK, the early returns are not encouraging.
Many insect groups, such as butterflies, bees and wasps, have larval stages that look nothing like the adults. Most biologists believe these…
