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Male mate location behaviour and encounter sites in a community of tropical butterflies: taxonomic and site associations and distinctions

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Abstract

Male mate location behaviour and encounter sites have been studied in 72 butterfly species at Nagpur, India, and related to taxonomy, morphology, habitat and population parameters. Species can be placed in three broad classes of mate location behaviour: invariant patrolling, invariant perching, and perch-patrol, the latter associated with increasing site fidelity, territorial defence and male assemblages. Significant taxonomic differences occur, closely related species tending to share mate location behaviours. Morphological differences are found with heavier and larger butterflies displaying greater site fidelity and territorial defence, and differences occur between individuals of species which both perch and patrol. Invariant patrolling is particularly associated with tracks through vegetation, host plant-track distributions, and high female to male numbers observed on transects; invariant perching is linked more to edge features than patrolling, and to lower population counts on transects. Species which perch-patrol, defend territories and establish male assemblages are associated with more complex vegetation structures, and have encounter sites at vegetation edges, landforms and predictable resource (host plant) concentrations. Attention is drawn to the importance of distinctive mate encounter sites for the conservation of butterfly species’ habitats.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Entomology Division, RTM Nagpur University Campus, Nagpur, 440 033, India

    Ashish D. Tiple

  2. Forest Entomology Division, Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, 482 201, India

    Ashish D. Tiple

  3. Ecology and Rehabilitation Division, Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, 482 021, India

    Sonali V. Padwad

  4. Istituto Comprensivo Materna Elementere Media Convenevole da Prato, via 1o Maggio 40, 59100, Prato, Italy

    Leonardo Dapporto

  5. Institute for Environment, Sustainability and Regeneration, Staffordshire University, Mellor Building, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 2DE, UK

    Roger L. H. Dennis

  6. School of Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Headington, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK

    Roger L. H. Dennis

Authors
  1. Ashish D. Tiple
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  2. Sonali V. Padwad
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  3. Leonardo Dapporto
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  4. Roger L. H. Dennis
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Correspondence to Roger L. H. Dennis.

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Supplementary tables pertaining to this article are available on the Journal of Biosciences Website at http://www.ias.ac.in/jbiosci/dec2010/pp629-646/suppl.pdf

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Tiple, A.D., Padwad, S.V., Dapporto, L. et al. Male mate location behaviour and encounter sites in a community of tropical butterflies: taxonomic and site associations and distinctions. J Biosci 35, 629–646 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-010-0071-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-010-0071-x

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