Preliminary investigation into mud-puddling behavior in Appias spp. (Albatross Butterflies) at Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, India
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.sidebar##
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2437-4456
Vishnu S. Moorchilot
Lekshmi Raveendran Sylas V.P.
S. Jayakumar
Abstract
Butterflies represent one of the most popular and readily identifiable insect taxa. The annual migration of Appias spp. (Albatross butterflies) is common in the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS), India. During migration, the butterflies moving along the stream course often settle down in masses across a mud-puddling site. This study sheds light on the multifaceted interplay between soil parameters and the mud-puddling aggregation behavior observed in Albatross butterflies within the AWS. The results revealed no significant differences in most soil nutrients between the mud-puddling sites (MS) and control sites (CS). However, the moisture content and available sodium content were significantly greater in the MS treatment (p = 0.0003 and p = 0.002, respectively). Hence, more moisture (avg_35.95% in MS than avg_0.99% in CS) and more sodium (avg_34 mg/kg in MS than avg_15.11 mg/kg in CS) were found to play significant roles in the behavior of certain species, such as A. albina, A. wardii, and A. lyncida. The majority of the tested soil parameters exhibited weak correlations with the density of butterflies (the r values of pH, moisture, N, C, S, Cu, Cd, Zn and Mn were -0.48, -0.59, -0.35, -0.30, -0.36, +0.16, -0.18, -0.18 and -0.005, respectively). Notably, sodium and potassium were the sole minerals exhibiting a strong positive correlation with the density of mud-puddling Appias spp. (r = +0.78 and r = +0.77, respectively), emphasizing the significance of sodium and potassium in shaping the density of Albatrosses engaged in mud-puddling behavior. Many butterflies employ visual cues to locate these resources. Hence, this study also explored the preference of Appias spp. for conspecific paper decoys for directing butterflies to puddle sites. The presence of conspecific decoys noticeably drew butterflies, underscoring the significance of visual cues in butterfly behavior. Additional studies in this domain could enhance our understanding of butterfly ecology and the mechanisms governing their decision-making processes.
How to Cite
Downloads
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##
Albatross butterflies, Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Butterfly mud-puddling , Mud-puddling aggregation, Soil nutrient compositions, Visual cues
Bhatade, R., Patwardhan, A.P. & Kurve, P.K. (2019). A preliminary study on some ecological factors involved in Mud-Puddling of butterflies in Mumbai metropolitan region. International Journal of Entomology Research, 4, pp.01-06.
Boggs, C.L. & Jackson, L. A. (1991). Mud puddling by butterflies is not a simple matter. Ecological Entomology, 16(1), 123-127.
Boggs, C.L. & Dau, B. (2004). Resource specialization in puddling Lepidoptera. Environmental Entomology, 33(4), 1020-1024.
Dennis, R.L., Dennis, M.P., Hardy, P.B. & Botham, M.S. (2014). Mud-puddling aggregation behavior in Pieris napi (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae): does polyandry and large spermatophore mass transfer lead to increased investment in mud-puddling. Entomologist’s Gazette, 65, 87-95.
DuVal, E. H., Vanderbilt, C. C., & M'Gonigle, L. K. (2018). The spatial dynamics of female choice in an exploded lek generate benefits of aggregation for experienced males. Animal Behavior, 143, 215-225.
Inoue, T.A., Ito, T., Hagiya, H., Hata, T., Asaoka, K., Yokohari, F. & Niihara, K. (2015). K+ excretion: The other purpose for puddling behavior in Japanese Papilio butterflies. PLoS One, 10(5), p.e 0126632.
John, E. & Tennent, W.J. (2012). Marine (seawater) puddling by butterflies: is the sea an under. Entomologist's Gazette, 63, pp.135-145.
John, E., & Dennis, R. L. (2019). Postaestivation puddling by female Chazara briseis larnacana (Oberthür, 1909) and Maniola cypricola (Graves, 1928) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Satyrinae): influences and implications. Entomologists's Gazette, 70(2), 97-109.
Lai-Fook J. (1991). Absorption of phosphorus from the spermatophore through the cuticle of the bursa copulatrix of the butterfly, Calpodes ethlius. Tissue and Cell, 23(2), 247-259.
Lewis, S., & South, A. (2012). The evolution of animal nuptial gifts. In Advances in the Study of Behavior (Vol. 44, pp. 53-97). Academic Press.
Mathew, G. & Binoy, C.F. (2002). Migration of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) in the new Amarambalam reserve forest of the Nilgiri biosphere reserve. 17.8.844-7
Molleman, F., Grunsven, R. H., Liefting, M., Zwaan, B. J., & Brakefield, P. M. (2005). Is male puddling behavior of tropical butterflies targeted at sodium for nuptial gifts or activity?. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 86(3), 345-361.
Otis, G.W., Locke. B., McKenzie, N.G., Cheung, D., MacLeod, E., Careless, P. & Kwoon, A. (2006). Local enhancement in mud-puddling swallowtail butterflies (Battus philenor and Papilio glaucus). Journal of Insect Behavior, 19, 685-698.
Palot, M.J., Balakrishnan, V.C., Valappil, B. & Nair, G.H. (2015). Butterfly diversity of Aralam Wlidlife Sanctuary. Forest Development Agency, Aralam.
Smedley, S.R & Eisner, T. (1995). Sodium uptake by puddling in a moth. Science, 270(5243), 1816-1818.
Smedley, S.R & Eisner, T. (1996). Sodium: a male moth's gift to its offspring. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 93(2), 809-813.
Smedley, S.R. (2009). Puddling Behavior. In Encyclopedia of Insects (pp. 860-861). Academic Press.
Sreekumar, P.G. & Balakrishnan, M. (2001). Habitat and altitude preferences of butterflies in Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala. Tropical Ecology, 42(2), 277-281.
Thornhill, R. & Alcock, J. (1983). The evolution of insect mating systems. Harvard University Press.
Watanabe, M. (2016). Sperm competition in butterflies. Tokyo: Springer Japan.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
