MartinV writes:
On the other hand you are right: it seems to me, that 14 femals morphs of Papilio Dardanus most of which which mimic (admittedly) other species of butterflies are so baffling, that I personally do not believe, that it can evolved by random mutation. Others maybe can.
The information that you referenced
here doesn't give much detail. So, I have a few questions.
Are all morphs of the female Papilio Dardanus equally selected for mating by any male of the species?
Does a female that mimics one species produce offspring females that mimic a different species?
Is the population of Papilio that mimics one particular species in the same geographic/ecological location as the population of Papilio
that mimics different butterfly species?
If wing shape and coloration on butterflies is a heritable trait why couldn't multiple species have similar sets of alleles?
Those alleles could combine in different ways within the Papilio Dardanus population producing many shapes and colorations. Over time the combinations that result in similarities to recognizable poisonous/unpalatable butterflies, being less likely to be eaten, could result in leaving only those combinations in the "gene pool".
Just some thoughts from a non-biologist.
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