Lachryphagy

, wherein butterflies and moths obtain nutrients in damp soil|left Lachryphagy is best known as a behavior of adult butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera). Tear-drinking and eye-frequenting behavior has been observed in butterflies and moths throughout tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia, particularly in their "savanna belts and monsoon regions ... where the dry season covers a period of at least three to four months, and where rainfall and humidity are too low for rainforests." Bänziger numbered the known lachryphagous moths in 2009 at around 100 species across six families, with 23 imbibing from human eyes. Lachryphagy in lepidopterans is thought to have evolved from mud-puddling behavior, in contrast to hematophagous Lepidoptera whose behavior is thought to derive from fruit-piercing feeding. Lachryphagous behavior among moths seems to be limited to nocturnal species, likely because hosts are less alert at night. It has been proposed that lachryphagous moths drink tears due to a scarcity of flowers or in pursuit of essential salts. Most known lachryphagous lepidopterans are nocturnal moths. Butterflies have been observed drinking the tears of reptiles, including turtles and crocodiles. Lachryphagic moths generally do not specialize in any host species, A camera trap photographed moth lachryphagy on a moose in Green Mountain National Forest in 2024. The first report of moths feeding on the tears of birds was published in 2007. The Malagasy moth Hemiceratoides hieroglyphica was found to probe its sharp proboscis into the closed eyes of sleeping birds at night to drink their tears. H. hieroglyphica's proboscis is unique among those of lachryphagous moths, This suggests a correlation between morphology and feeding position in lachryphagous moths, as more obtrusively-shaped moths must avoid causing irritation to the host in order to continue their drinking in peace. A 1995 study found some bacteria found in cattle with opthalmia in the proboscises of lachryphagous moths, implying inconclusively that lachryphagous moths can transmit harmful bacteria to cattle. == Flies ==

questing around a human eye during a summer day in Basilicata, an area highly endemic for Thelazia callipaeda'' Many flies visit human and animal eyes for tears, especially those in the families Chloropidae, Cryptochetidae, Drosophilidae, and Muscidae. The behavior is mostly limited to male flies. Máca and Otranto propose that the males may collect nutrients from tears to give to their female mates as a "wedding present". Proteins uptaken from eye secretions may also be needed to produce a spermatophore. Most Amiota are lachryphagous, attracted to the tears of humans and other animals—likely seeking sodium. and Apenthecia. Lachryphagous drosophilids tend to approach human faces in vertical zig-zagging motion. Their eye-frequenting behavior tends to be bothersome to animals. Human lachryphagy by Steganin flies in the genus Amiota was first recorded in 1921, when John Russell Malloch described Amiota minor persistently trying to land on his hands and face, attracted to his sweat and tears. Male Phortica variegata infect humans and other animals with the larvae of the nematode Thelazia callipaeda, transmitting thelaziasis with their lachryphagous behavior. == Bees ==

Stingless bees Lachryphagy is widespread among Southeast Asian stingless bees, which since 2009 possibly due to the relatively richer protein content in tears as compared to sweat (200 times greater), and as an adaptation to times of decreased availability of nectar and pollen. The maximum observed distance a host was recorded traveling before a Lisotrigona tear-collector flew back to the nest is 680 meters—a great distance for such a small bee. the spectacled caiman, and the green iguana. The bees hover before the reptiles' eyes and reach in with their proboscises to drink their tears. == Other insects ==

Cockroaches in the Amazon have been observed feeding on the tears of anoles, which are natural predators of cockroaches. Mey argues that lachryphagy is most likely done by lice in pursuit of water, and notes that lachryphagous lice deviate from the avoidance of light typical of lice. == Notes ==