Do butterflies urinate?

[Robert Dana]

An entomologist friend of mine, Dean Hansen, has some movie footage he
shot of one of our tiger swallowtails, glaucus or canadensis--don't
remember which, sucking up moisture from wet soil and firing a drop of
liquid from the anus every so many seconds. Very dramatic. And I've had
skippers land on my arm, deposit a drop of liquid from their anus on my
skin, then imbibe the drop, presumably now full of dissolved salts.

*************************************************************
Robert Dana, Ph.D.
MN DNR
Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program
500 Lafayette Rd, Box 25
St. Paul, MN 55155
651 297-2367
Email: robert.dana at dnr.state.mn.us
*************************************************************

>>> <neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk> 9/1/02 3:49:29 PM >>>
neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk wrote:

> Mark Gerard Miller wrote:
> 
>> This is a serious question.
>> 
>> Mark
>> 
> 
> In a general sense yes. On emergence from the pupa they produce an
liquid
> often reddish or pinkish in colour called meconium. This contains
the
> waste products from the pupal stage.
> 

Someone has just reminded me of another phenomenon I have observed.
When drinking from puddles I have observed Swallowtails excreting the
wast 
liquid from the anal area.
I saw this once in the upper amazon region in Ecuador.

 
--
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.butterflyguy.com/ 
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn
Bog
National Nature Reserve

 
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