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Puddling behavior by Bay checkerspot butterflies (Euphydryas editha bayensis)

1996; Volume: 32; Linguagem: Inglês

10.5962/p.266602

2156-5457

Alan E. Launer, Dennis D. Murphy, Carol L. Boggs, John F. Baughman, S. B. Weiss, Paul R. Ehrlich,

Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics

Large numbers of male and female Bay checkerspot butterflies, Euphydryas editha bayensis, were observed taking moisture from the banks of a seasonal creek in 1990.Previous observations of this long-studied subspecies imply that taking moisture from saturated substrates is not a common behavior for males, and is certainly not the norm for females.This study found that during the early and mid-portions of the adult flight season in 1990, a large number of older individuals visited the creek site, and that many butterflies were apparently flying more than one kilometer round-trip to visit the creek site.This behavior may have been induced by drought conditions.This communication reports numerous observations of a butterfly, the Bay checkerspot {Euphydryas editha bayensis ) , not typically thought to be a "puddling species."Although adults, and males in particular, of many species of Lepidoptera have been observed extracting fluids from moist soils (Adler