I have to confess that until very recently, I thought that all butterfly eggs had just one micropyle. Not having access to a scanning electron microscope, my examination of eggs has largely been confined to the use of a hand lens, loupe, or on rare occasions a more powerful optical microscope. I had not read of the existence of multiple micropyles in any of the standard texts on butterflies.
A recent discussion with one of the authors of the research article below has educated me to the fact there is both inter- and intra-specific variation in the number of micropyles within the remarkable structure of Lepidopterous ova. (The research was carried out at my local University of Lincoln).
The article makes for an interesting read, and a startling conclusion of a postulated relationship between micropyle number, female promiscuity, and the possibility of some form of sperm selection process being present in female butterflies who have paired with more than one male.
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/ ... .2016.0782
number of micropyles on butterfly eggs
Re: number of micropyles on butterfly eggs
Hi Pete,
A very absorbing research paper, thank-you for posting it. I learnt a great deal about the reproductive success rate in lepidopterans and how it is associated with certain physiologies and behaviours.
It is interesting that the authors were able to come to their conclusions using previous scientific research texts - it doesn't seem if any further experimentation was necessary. That is good news for enthusiast lepidopterists (like me) that don't have access to expensive entomological equipment and facilities. It is encouraging that, in theory, an 'amateur lepidopterist' could in fact learn to interpret texts in a similar way and come to similar conclusions through research alone.
Thank you once again,
Cheers,
Phil.
A very absorbing research paper, thank-you for posting it. I learnt a great deal about the reproductive success rate in lepidopterans and how it is associated with certain physiologies and behaviours.
It is interesting that the authors were able to come to their conclusions using previous scientific research texts - it doesn't seem if any further experimentation was necessary. That is good news for enthusiast lepidopterists (like me) that don't have access to expensive entomological equipment and facilities. It is encouraging that, in theory, an 'amateur lepidopterist' could in fact learn to interpret texts in a similar way and come to similar conclusions through research alone.
Thank you once again,
Cheers,
Phil.