nectar vs. sap

Robert Thorn Thorn at cc.denison.edu
Wed Oct 15 17:13:11 EDT 1997


Sorry to interrupt the collecting and commercialization debates (which
really are interesting, although becoming somewhat venal), but I have a
more abstract question for butterfly biologists.  Are there
closely-related lepidoptera that show feeding preferences for sap vs.
nectar?  I'm familiar with the anglewings' and emperors'  fondness for
non-nectar sources of nourishment, but that feature seems fairly uniform
in those taxa.  Are there other butterfly or moth groups that show
variation in this diet choice?  I'm trying to examine the physiology of
odor detection and memory in sap vs. nectar feeders, and would like to
compare taxa as close as possible.
							Rob Thorn,  thorn at denison.edu


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