Paradichlorbenzene, an odour forever associated for me with cabinets and the serried ranks of pinned Lepidoptera. But do butterflies or moths actually have their own species-specific smells? Are any discernible by the human nose? Perhaps some butterflies mimic the scent of flowers to attract mates?
Are there any butterfly sommeliers out there?
That is a very good question, and I think it has many different answers @GilesR depending on which specific species you talk about and the actual definition you use for âSmell.â
If we talk about âsmellâ as detecting any volatile compounds in the air, then, yes, most butterflies smell; namely, they smell pheromones for reproductive purposes. For example, the discal scales on males of many species are specifically designed to secrete those compounds and be detected by females.
For example, a study on Pierids says âwe have shown that males transfer species-specific pheromones, an anti-aphrodisiac, to the conspecific females at mating . The mated females emit the anti-aphrodisiac when courted, which makes males quickly abandon them.â hereâs the full article: FRO_0001.PDF (diva-portal.org)
You can find another excellent example in this CBC article about Heliconids: Butterfly males leave a stinky parting gift with mates that deters further suitors | CBC Radio
Thank you Rodrigo. Your pointers to the recent literature are very welcome! - G
1 Like