What is this chap doing?

[millerd]

Reviewing the snaps from last weekend, I noticed this bit of behaviour.

Can anyone tell me what this male Holly Blue is doing? I've seen female butterflies do something like this when being molested by males, but never a solitary male. Apologies for the less than sharp photos, but I think you can see what I mean.

Any ideas?

Dave

[Paul Wetton]

Hi Dave

I've noticed this behaviour quite a lot when filming butterflies, especially Blues and Skippers. The males seem to expose their genitalia and move them around somewhat, possible a cleaning process.

[Rogerdodge]

The males seem to expose their genitalia and move them around somewhat, possible a cleaning process

It's not an excuse that works, I am afraid.

[Piers]

We applaud you for trying though Rog.

[Lee Hurrell]

I think he's been taking lesson's from Nick's Small White.

Moral of the story - never air your 'dirty linen' in public.

Cheers

Lee

[Susie]

I'm glad you posted this, Dave, as it has reminded me of something I wanted to mention here.

When I was watching the green hairstreaks the other day one of them, who was a right feisty little chap and up for a fight with anything else who flew passed, was sitting on his favourite leaf. In an instant he saw another green hairstreak and before accosting him for a little in the air combat he bent his abdomen round and wiped it on the leaf. My gut reaction was that he could have been scent marking his favourite perch. Do butterflies do this?

And in answer to your original question, Dave, perhaps he is releasing pheramones which say "sling your hook, I'm a bloke!".

[Trev Sawyer]

Reminds me of a certain Monty Python film...

"I fart in your general direction - Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of... elderberries!!!"



Trev

[Paul]

I DO love this website

[millerd]

And there was me expecting a piece of erudite prose and maybe a quote from a learned journal...

But thank you all for your contributions! I think I'm a bit wiser.

Dave

[Trev Sawyer]

I think I gave you both Dave

Actually, I think Susie may be right... I'm sure some male butterflies must scent-mark leaves etc. to deter other males from "sitting in their seat". I have also read somewhere that a particular species of bumblebee marks a favourite area with secretions from that area of the body and due to some of the less volatile components within this mix (ie those which don't fade much over time), this may help the insect find the same perch the following day. I, like you, await a definitive answer though.

Trev

[David M]

It's perfectly plausible. After all, butterflies and moths have a particularly well defined sense of smell, as evidenced by the pheromones they use during courtship.

[Piers]

I am with Paul Wetton on this, with the reservation that looking at the condition it is equally feasible that this is a freshly emerged specimen simply 'stretching' it's claspers. I have observed this with captive bred lycaenids which will wriggle their abdomen and appear to exercise the claspers.

Unless you actually observed the butterfly apparently scent marking I would be inclined to rule this out in this instance although, as Susie quite correctly states from her own observations, there is certainly evidence to suggest that some lycaenid species may well scent mark their favourite perches.

[millerd]

It was a newly emerged individual. I simply took a series of photos, and these two were part of the sequence. It did nothing else except sit there, I'm afraid. I didn't actually notice the abdomen until I reviewed the pictures.

Dave

[Neil Hulme]

I think he's merely testing his equipment out, giving it a whirl.... in the same way a cricketer might swing his bat on the way out to the crease.
Neil

[Lee Hurrell]

Don't freshly emerged adults also expel a little fluid once emerged?

Lee

[Paul Wetton]

I think Felix may have it. From watching video of a freshly emerged Common Blue in the Derbyshire Peak District it did appear to be exposing it's claspers and performing some sort of alignment and clasping unclasping routine. I'll try and look back through my video and post an example on here when I'm not at work (ssshhh).

[Susie]

Ok, not quite sure how to ask this without getting embarrassing answers but what are a male butterfly's claspers? I have never seen a male butterfly gripping a female in the same way as dragonflies do. So are they, ummm, boy bits?

[Piers]

Hi Susie,

Yes, male butterflies have claspers at the end of the abdomen with which they grip the end of the female's abdomen. The claspers also assist in the accurate location of the sexual organs.

It is possible that after emergence and the expansion of the wings this 'flexing' process ensures that the penis and claspers are correctly located and functioning relative to each other in readiness for mating.

Lee,

Yes you're right: Following emergence and the inflation of the wings, butterflies excrete a fluid known as meconium which is the waste material from the pupal stage. However, the secretion of a jet of meconium does not involve the flexing of the claspers in this fashion. The claspers are part of the sexual organs where as meconium is secreted from the vent of the insect.

Paul,

If you could dig out a video of a freshly emerged male butterfly exercising his claspers to add to this thread that would be great.

Felix.

[Susie]

Hi Felix,

Thanks.

[Paul Wetton]

Hi all.
I've attempted to add video to this thread but UKbutterflies doesn't seem to recognise the new code for embedded video on YouTube or the old code if added between the video tags. (please let me know if I'm doing it wrong Pete) so no direct video but here's a link to show what the discussion is about. This was taken at Millersdale Station in Derbyshire using an old video camera. Please follow the link.

http://youtu.be/W8RLqI59mKc