First-instar orchid mantis nymphs avoid predators by mimicking black-red assassin bugs, whereas those in later instars avoid predators and attract prey by camouflaging themselves as lighter-coloured flowers. Here the authors use developmental transcriptomics, evolutionary genomics and predation experiments to reveal that this ontogenetic colour change is regulated by a pigment transporter called Redboy that emerged in Polyneoptera 284–197 million years ago.
- Xiao-Jin Pei
- Dong Zhao
- Sheng Li
