Lust, without Caution

[The Plane]

After Lust, here comes the eggs...:bsmile:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2296/4531548222_269210ec96_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/4530916725_c996f135f0_o.jpg

Seriously, why it laid its eggs on the steel wires rather than on its host plant ? Loke and I were wondering today...:hmmm:

[Great Mormon]

oh, i suppose the female BW thinks that it is part of the plant. Last time, the LL even laid a clump of eggs along the bamboo pole of which the passiflora was climbing on

[Silverstreak]

It is quite common to see the Common Birdwing and Common Rose oviposting or pupating on the plastic mesh at AHBT, close to the young sapling that is climbing up from the ground to the trellis .

[butterfly_effect]

now that i didnt know. Thanks for sharing :) nice pics in spite of the cage.

[Grass Demon]

It is common practice for certain species to lay their eggs somewhere near the caterpillar food plant. This is to avoid the eggs being accidentally eaten by other caterpillars which are already present on the food plant. Imagine the large Birdwing caterpillar chomping through the leaves, I am sure it would devour anything in its way.

[butterfly_effect]

good point :)

[Banded Yeoman]

Mmmm. Never knew they would lay eggs on somewhere else.

Good point.:cheers:

[Great Mormon]

Strangely enough, I found some Lime Butterflies laying eggs on slices of oranges that were supposed to be for the butterflies to feed on. I did try to keep a slice with eggs before, but the eggs were infertile, or perhaps fungus or bacteria got to the eggs 1st?

[Banded Yeoman]

Maybe orange got same smell as lime leaf?:confused: :confused: :confused:

[Grass Demon]

Well I have an experience to beat it all. It was perhaps 15 years ago when I was helping my son collect lime butterfly cats and eggs for his school project when a female Lime Butt came by flying around my son and I as we were standing next to a Lime plant. I froze and the next thing was that the female Lime flew onto my watch and laid and egg there:hmmm:.

[Bluebottle]

May be Jonathan is right. The host plant might have some kind of chemical signature. When other objects come into contact with it, the chemical or smell are rubbed onto them. The butts are thus confused. Just a wild guess.

[teotp]

Female Troides butterflies have been reported oviposit their ova not on the host plant but in the vicinity of their food plant (e.g. nearby dead plants, fallen dead twig on the ground, or other objects nearby their caterpillar's host plant). These Troides butterflies include T. aeacus, T. magellanus, T. miranda, T. oblongomaculatus and T. hypolitus. Particularly T. hypolitus is rarely ovipositing onto its larval food plant and mostly on the nearby plants or dead twigs (Igarashi & Fukuda, 1997). Please take a close look of the second photo - Aristolochia tagala is nearby where the female Troides laid her egg. Similar behaviour also observed from other butterfly genera.

Oviposition behaviour, egg placement and oviposition "mistake" have been studied in details by many entomologists. Chew & Robbins (1984) reported that oviposition sites are not equivalent to larval food plants because some apparently "mistaken" choices are normal behaviour, even if they are imprecise assessments of what is suitable for larval development. The fates of ova oviposited on host and off host plants has a different "findability" applies to non-human predators and parasites, the explanation of off host oviposition many be uncomplicated. As no habitat stands still, the evolution of oviposition specificity is still carry on in butterflies.

I am a new member of BDFs, and would like to take this opportunity to say "HELLO" to everybody.

Teo T P

[Silverstreak]

Teotp,

Welcome to ButterflyCircle !

We are honoured to have you with us !

Thank you, in the generous sharing of your butterfly knowledge with the Forum!!


Cheers!

[Commander]

Hello Thiam Peng,

Finally you've managed to solve the login problem. :)

We are privileged to have you on board with us, and I hope that you will share your vast experience on butterflies with us.

Welcome to ButterflyCircle, and we hope you have a long and pleasant stay with our group of butterfly enthusiasts. :cheers:

[Peacock Royal]

Hi Teotp

Welcome to ButterflyCircle.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge on butterflies in this forum.
Looking forward to learn from you.

[Great Mormon]

Welcome aboard Teotp,

We have plenty to learn from you :)

[The Plane]

Welcome to BC, Teo. Thanks for your detailed explanation. Wow...another expert on board. :cheers:

[Banded Yeoman]

Hi Teo.:)

Welcome to BC. Hope u have an enjoyable stay with us.

we're gonna learn alot more with u on board now.
:cheers:

[teotp]

Khew SK: My appreciation for encouraging me to join the BDFs and help to solve my post reply problem.

Anthony: Thanks for your email and willing to help.

You all are excellent photographers and experience enthusiasts in studing butterflies. I just sharing from what I had learnt. There are many areas about butterflies I need to learn from all of you.

CKCHNG: If one day you have a shot of female butterfly oviposits ova on a spider's silken cobwib near to the food plant. Please show it to us. (Cupha erymanthis and Cirrochroa regina did that!)

Teo T P

[atronox]

CKCHNG: If one day you have a shot of female butterfly oviposits ova on a spider's silken cobwib near to the food plant. Please show it to us. (Cupha erymanthis and Cirrochroa regina did that!)

Teo T P
Hi, Mr Teo, just wondering, from this statement, have u been to New Guinea before?

[teotp]

Yes. I visited my uncle in 2001 but after he past away I have not visit NG again. Why u ask this question?

[atronox]

Yes. I visited my uncle in 2001 but after he past away I have not visit NG again. Why u ask this question?
Oh i see, sry.
I'm just fascinated with the place.