www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I have just been looking through past photos (as you do...) and found this one from Collard Hill on 21st June last year. A closer look at the thyme flower buds seems to reveal something that might be an egg - is it possible to confirm this from this picture? At the same time I noticed that the butterfly has a deformed proboscis with the end completely splayed out. How could this happen I wonder?

Any opinions on either gratefully received!

Dave

Hi Dave,

As I understand it, the proboscis is made up of two halves, which come together to form a sort of tube that the butterfly drinks through as they emerge from the pupal state. I had assumed it was permanent though but maybe your specimen proves otherwise or it is indeed deformed.

Cheers

Lee

Thanks Lee! That's what I understood about the proboscis too - and I've observed the two halves in emerging adult butterflies before they join, but I've not seen aything like this. Here's a bit of a close-up from the same picture which might show things better...

Dave

Hi Dave,

With regard to the egg - yes, it might be an egg, although it's hard to tell! When the eggs are first laid, they're buried deep within a flower head. But over a period of days, the flower itself develops, which can result in the egg being more exposed than was intended (I guess - I've yet to have any kind of sensible conversation with a female Large Blue, so yet to confirm). I've seen the same thing with Maculinea on the continent.

As for the proboscis - yes, this is a "tongue of two halves" - but the two halves are occasionally "unzipped" in my experience, in order to remove any debris etc. that prevents sufficient intake of nectar and other nutrients.

Cheers,

- Pete

Phil Bromley took a great shot of this painted lady recently (shown on the Cambs and Essex BC site - link below) which shows "two" tongues - presumably one unzipped...
http://www.cambs-essex-butterflies.org. ... ug10pb.jpg
Perhaps the "splayed" version on your large blue is simply a collection of hairs from around the face attached to the end of its tongue - we all get the odd hair in our mouths and I suspect with such a beard, butterflies may get stubble attached quite easily
Could also be a piece of seed head from a flower or an empty aphid/insect "skin"?


Trev

I am inclined to agree with Trev; what ever it is it doesn't look like part of the insect's proboscis, splayed or otherwise. It is not unusual for butterflies to have foreign bodies attached to their proboscis which prevents the organ from coiling correctly. Certain orchid pollens for example will attach to the proboscis and encumber the butterfly in this way.

The egg, however, certainly looks like an egg.

Felix.

Thank you all for your comments! Looking at the proboscis again, the end does indeed resemble the hairs you can see on the thyme flower as much as anything. Certainly the same dimensions - so this could be the answer.

As for the egg - I'm happy to believe that this is what it is.

Dave