Butterflies go all of a flutter over mates with same coloured wings

MALE butterflies seek out females with the same wing colour because they find them more attractive, research shows.

- Stephen Beech

Experts say genetics, vision and neural processing are all linked to mating behaviour in Heliconius butterflies, which are mainly found in Central and South America.

Study co-author Dr Nicholas VanKuren, of Chicago University, said: "Heliconius are a group of tropical butterflies known for their wide variety of wing patterns and colours, which act as a warning to predators.