Mallet Group

Heliconius erato (above), and H. melpomene (below), a pair of Müllerian co-mimics from different sites in Ecuador and Northern Peru. Each species gains protection from the other's unpalatability. Within any site, the two species are excellent co-mimics, but major geographic differences in colour pattern have evolved within each species. This geographic diversity is extraordinary by temperate zone standards: the region (about 600km x 300km) of the Andean foothills from which all these forms within each species can be found is less extensive than New England or Great Britain. 

James Mallet and co-workers study evolution, hybridization, and speciation - mainly in butterflies

Methods range from collecting trips in dugouts, field experiments in the Amazon rainforest, population genetic inferences about selection and gene flow, to genomics

NB -- James Mallet is NOT accepting graduate students this year, due to current budget problems at Harvard University caused by budget changes and uncertainty emanating from the Administration.