Developmental and evolutionary mechanisms shaping butterfly eyespots.
Butterfly eyespots are visually compelling models to study the reciprocal interactions between evolutionary and developmental processes that shape phenotypic variation. They are evolutionarily diversified, ecologically relevant, and developmentally tractable, and have made key contributions to linking genotype, development, phenotype and fitness. Advances in the availability of analytical tools (e.g. gene editing and visualization techniques) and resources (e.g. genomic and transcriptomic data) are boosting the detailed dissection of the mechanisms underlying eyespot development and evolution. Here, we review current knowledge on the ecology, development, and evolution of butterfly eyespots, with focus on recent advances. We also highlight a number of unsolved mysteries in our understanding of the patterns and processes underlying the diversification of these structures.