Erythrism

A erythristic Welsh polecat

Erythrism or erythrochroism refers to an unusuaI reddish pigmentation of an animaI's fur, hair, skin, feathers, or eggshells.

Causes of erythrism include

• genetic mutations which cause an absence of a normal pigment and/or excessive production of others
• diet, as in bees feeding on "bright red (colored) corn syrup" used in maraschino cherry manufacturing

Erythrism in katydids has been occasionally observed. The coloring might be a camouflage that helps some members of the species survive on red plants. There is also consensus that the erythristic mutation is actually a dominant trait among katydid species, albeit a disadvantageous one, due to the overwhelmingly green coloration of most foliage. Hence, most pink or otherwise vividly colored katydids do not survive to adulthood, and this observation explains their rarity.

Gallery

• Erythrism in katydids
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See also

• Albinism
• Amelanism
• Dyschromia
• Heterochromia iridum
• Leucism
• Melanism
• Piebaldism
• Vitiligo
• Xanthochromism
• Red hair

External links

• The Mystery of the Red Bees of Red Hook, New York Times, November 30, 2010
• Rare Pink Katydid Discovered in Northern Illinois, Chicago Tribune Local, August 10, 2011
• Another Nice Example of Erythrism: Grasshopper, August 28, 2009
• Erythrism: Grasshopper in New Zealand, Rod Morris, 2010
• Pink Animal Amazingness, Paula Kashtan, lemondrop.com, December 18, 2008

• Sarah Schmidt, Helping Brooklyn's Red Stingers Get Off The Juice, onearth.org, December 1, 2010