Honeydew?

[Dale Roberts/Bill Yule]

Bob.   Thanks for the reply.  You've spent some time among them (butterflies
that is) as Leroy might say; Have you ever seen what I described?  A male
nipping the tail of a female.  If that behavior is in fact a males way of
checking  female receptivity or checking for the presence of sperm from a
previous mating then it makes perfect sense.  Of course the odes have taken
the "quest for sperm dominance" a step beyond having copulatory equipment
designed to displace the previous suitor's sperm even as he deposits his
own!  But that's another story isn't it?  Among the leps I've always
associated the spiraling upward flight of two conspecifics as behavior of a
male checking a female for receptivity (or two males trying to determine
each others gender) but that may be a more generalized preliminary behavior
than what I was thinking of.  The analogy I originally made to insects
nectaring on "honeydew" was a superficial observation, I really still have
no firm idea of what was going on although I believe Mike's suggestion
(checking for receptivity) is a good direction to investigate.

                                           Cheers,
                                                       Bill Yule-----
Original Message -----
From: "Bob Parcelles,Jr." <rjparcelles at yahoo.com>
To: <LEPS-L at lists.yale.edu>; "Newsletter Nature Potpourri"
<naturepotpourri at yahoogroups.com>
Cc: "Dale Roberts/Bill Yule" <droberts03 at SNET.Net>
Sent: Sunday, September 15, 2002 9:03 PM
Subject: Re: Honeydew?


> Bill,
>
> Being a vertebrate ethologist rapidly aquiring a taste for odonate and
> lep behavior I had been anticipating more reaction on this subject
> also. I suggest you take it to TILS Leps  talk or even my Nature
> Potpourri where  discussions do not always center on the debate between
> wise use and  conservation. Moreover, the professional and amateur
> scientists should undertake such a phenom with vigor, certainly not
> treat it as mundane or the silly question of a tyro.
>
> It is nice to see a little ecology and ethology on Leps List. Thank you
> for the observation.
>
> I find it fascinating that the "quest for sperm dominance" can have
> evolved so nicely in a lep. Best thread that never go started in years.
>
> Way to go...guys!
>
> Bob Parcelles, Jr.
>
> --- Dale Roberts/Bill Yule <droberts03 at SNET.Net> wrote:
> > Michael,
> >              Thanks for taking the time to reply to my question.  If
> > you could direct me to any sources or references that might discuss
> > this aspect of lepidopteran ethology I would appreciate that greatly.
> >  Apparently either my question was too mundane or others on the list
> > have no interest in this behavior.  Yours was the only serious
> > response to my question.  I find it a little discouraging that when
> > one has a sincere question about butterfly behavior and one tries to
> > use the internet as a tool to educate oneself so many knowledgable
> > people are silent.  Thanks again.
> >
> >                                              Bill Yule
> >   ----- Original Message -----
> >   From: Michael Klein
> >   To: droberts03 at SNET.Net ; LEPS-L at lists.yale.edu
> >   Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2002 8:22 PM
> >   Subject: RE: Honeydew?
> >
> >
> >   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
> ########################################################################
> PS: My time is precocious...so Nature Potpourri ...here it is
> !
>
> BP
>
>
> =====
> Bob Parcelles, Jr
> Pinellas Park, FL
> Ecologist/Ethologist, RJP Associates
> CEO, PROactive Ecology Solutions Group (PESG)
> Institute of Ecological and Environmental Studies (IEES)
> http://www.Ecology-Today.eboard.com
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturepotpourri
>
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