Honeydew?

[Michael Klein]

My understanding is that they are courting.  I believe he is checking to see
if she is a virgin or not in preparation for mating.

Michael Klein
San Diego

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-leps-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:owner-leps-l at lists.yale.edu]On
Behalf Of Dale Roberts/Bill Yule
Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2002 2:42 PM
To: LEPS-L at lists.yale.edu
Subject: Honeydew?

Hi all.
    If you all can suppress the  urge to snicker I have a serious question
about a behavior I witnessed on Thursday that was unfamiliar to me.  As
silly as this sounds it happened, I saw it and now I'm asking:  Do
butterflies exchange honeydew? Can one butterfly nectar on the secretions of
another?  Watching a butterfly garden in Connecticut I was observing the
interactions of a male and female Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus). While
the female was nectaring on a flower blossom the male landed behind her and
repeatedly nipped at the end of her abdomen. This action was deliberate and
repetitive, occurring about ten times in rapid succession.  I could not see
if the male was extending his proboscis but the impression was one of an
insect nectaring on the honeydew secretion of another in the way ants nectar
on the secretions of aphids.  Each individual contact was brief, followed by
the male pulling the head back and then contacting the female abdomen tip
again.  What's going on here?  I've never noticed this before.  Thanks in
advance and if this is common behavior please excuse my naivety.

                                Bill Yule
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