Foraging Behavior of the Blue Morpho and Other Tropical Butterflies: The Chemical and Electrophysiological Basis of Olfactory Preferences and the Role of Color

Abstract

Inside a live butterfly exhibit, we conducted bioassays to determine whether the presence of color would facilitate the location of attractants by the butterflies. It was found that color facilitated odor attraction in some species that feed on flowers (Parthenos silvia, Heraclides thoas, Dryas julia, and Idea leuconoe), but not in the exclusively fruit-feeding species, such as Morpho helenor, hence demonstrating that species with different natural diets use different foraging cues. Green, ripe, and fermented bananas were evaluated for their attractiveness to butterflies together with honey and mangoes. The fermented bananas were determined to be the most attractive bait, and the electrophysiological responses to their volatiles were studied in Morpho helenor and Caligo telamonius. During GC-EAD evaluation, fifteen different aliphatic esters, such as isobutyl isobutyrate, butyl acetate, ethyl butanoate, and butyl butanoate (both fermentation products and fruit semiochemicals) were shown to be detected by the butterflies' sensory apparatus located in the forelegs, midlegs, proboscis, labial palpi, and antennae. Legs, proboscis, and antennae of Morpho helenor and Caligo telamonius showed similar sensitivity, reacting to 11 chemicals, while labial palpi had a lower signalto-noise ratio and responded to seven chemicals, only three of which produced responses in other organs.

Nutrient acquisition across a dietary shift: fruit feeding butterflies crave amino acids, nectivores seek salt

“…The Papilionidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae, Riodinidae, and some Nymphalidae feed primarily on flower nectar, while several subfamilies of tropical Nymphalidae feed primarily on the juices of rotting fruits or other non-floral liquids (DeVries 1987(DeVries , 1988. Frugivorous butterflies have acquired several behavioral and morphological adaptations in order to exploit rotting fruit as a food source, including olfactory attraction to the smell of rotting fruit (Omura et al 2000;Sourakov et al 2012) and modified proboscis morphology adapted for mopping up fluids from wet surfaces (an elongated, brushy tip) or for piercing fruit skins (Krenn et al 2001). Butterflies of both guilds gain the majority of their biomass in the larval stage by consuming the leaf tissue of their host plants, therefore both nitrogen and sodium are likely to be in short supply for freshly-emerged adults.…”

Nectar feeding behavior of some butterflies in the botanical garden of Dhaka university

“…Butterflies are ecologically diverse group of insects showing complex foraging behavior during searching for food and nectar (Sourakov et al, 2012). The nectar of flower is the main source of adult nutrition (Ômura and Honda, 2005).…”

“…The butterflies exhibit distinct differences for flower preference (Jennersten, 1984). They choose plants as nectar sources depending on various factors including colors and odors of flowers (Jolivet 1986, Weiss 1997, Dosa 1999, DeVries et al, 1999and Sourakov 2012. Odor sometimes acts as a synergist with color as the important cue of foraging (Ômura and Honda, 2005).…”

Effect of a vitamin supplement and three species of food plants (Fabaceae) on the production of Morpho helenor butterflies (Nymphalidae:Lepidoptera)

“…A partir de olores volátiles recogidos de las hojas, las hembras pueden ser estimuladas para poner sus huevos (Sourakov, Duehl & Sourakov, 2012).…”