Erythrism or erythrochroism refers to an unusual reddish pigmentation of an animal's hair, skin, feathers, or eggshells. [1]
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Causes of erythrism include:
- Genetic mutations which cause an absence of a normal pigment and/or excessive production of others [2]
- Diet, as in bees feeding on "bright red corn syrup" used in maraschino cherry manufacturing. [3]
Erythrism in katydids has been occasionally observed. The coloring might be a camouflage that helps some members of the species survive on red plants. [4] 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. [5] Erythrism in leopards is rare, but one study [6] reported that two of twenty-eight leopards seen in camera traps in a South African nature reserve were erythristic, and the authors found records of five other "strawberry" leopards from the region. [7]
