Aggressiveness in leps

[John Lane]

Thoughtful consideration (or better, reconsideration) of "agressiveness" in
butterflies predates Scott.  I recall, as secretary pro tempore, at a Pacific
Slope Section meeting of the Lepidopterists' Society held at Santa Barbara,
California in 1966 a paper by C. Don MacNeill, entitled, "Just How Tough Are
Butterflies, Anyway?" which made the same point.

John Lane
johnlane at nccn.net

John Acorn wrote:

> Rhopalocerophiles,
>
> My understanding of agressiveness in butterflies is that it was originally
> thought to be territorial defense of a specific area by males.  I think it
> was Jim Scott who suggested that it was better understood as pursuit of
> potential mates, in which the males engaging in the behaviour were not
> defending a resource against other butterflies.  As well, it is my
> understanding that behavioural ecologists preferred the term "agonistic" to
> "aggressive" since it implies less about the motives of the animal.  Hope
> this helps the discussion.
>
> John Acorn
> Edmonton, Canada
> janature at compusmart.ab.ca