Puddling (behavior)

In tropical India this phenomenon is mostly seen in the post-monsoon season. The groups generally include several species, particularly members of the families Papilionidae and Pieridae. Males seem to benefit from the sodium uptake through mud-puddling behaviour with an increase in reproductive success. The collected sodium and amino acids are often transferred to the female with the spermatophore during mating as a nuptial gift. This nutrition also enhances the survival rate of the eggs. When puddling, many butterflies and moths pump fluid through the digestive tract and release fluid from their anus. In some, such as the male notodontid Gluphisia crenata, this is released in forced anal jets at 3 second intervals. Fluid of up to 600 times the body mass may pass through and males have a much longer ileum (anterior hindgut) than non-puddling females. File:Butterflies mud puddling at Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, India (13).jpg|Aggregation of butterflies mud puddling File:Mud-puddling-Aralam-2016-10-29-001.jpg|Collective of different butterfly species mud-puddling on a damp stream bed File:Spot Swordtails mud puddling Drop.jpg|Spot swordtail excreting excess water after mud-puddling File:Papilio glaucus-male puddling.webm|Male Papilio glaucus mud-puddling File:Danaus Plexippus Monarch Butterfly.jpg|Male Monarch butterfly mud-puddling File:Whites puddling.webm|thumbtime=70|Cabbage white (Pieris rapae) butterflies mud-puddling ==Other sources of liquid nutrient==

'' butterfly drinking from the tears of a turtle Some Orthoptera – e.g. the yellow-spined bamboo locust (Ceracris kiangsu) are attracted to human urine, specifically to the sodium and ammonium ions in it. Those Lepidoptera that are attracted to dung (e.g. Zeuxidia spp.) or carrion seem to prefer ammonium ions rather than sodium. In rotting, the tissues of fruits release sugars and other organic compounds such as alcohols that result from the metabolic processes of decay organisms, used as fuel by butterflies. In Borneo lowland rain forest, numerous species of butterflies regularly visit decaying fruit to drink. This behavior is mainly opportunistic, though some are highly attracted to old fruit, notably Satyrinae (e.g. Neorina lowii) and Limenitidinae such as Bassarona dunya. Certain moths, mainly of the subfamily Calpinae, are somewhat notorious for their blood- and tear-drinking habits. Hemiceratoides hieroglyphica of Madagascar has been noted to visit and suck tears by inserting their proboscis into the closed eyelids of roosting birds. Similar behaviour has been reported in Azeta melanea in Colombia and Gorgone macarea in Brazil. Other cases of moths drinking human tears have been reported from Thailand. Some species of the genus Calyptra are called "vampire moths" as they suck blood from sleeping vertebrates, including humans. Ophthalmotropy (eye-attraction) and lachryphagy (tear drinking) occur in a number of unrelated moths that visit mammals. Lobocraspis griseifusa is a notable example. Dryas iulia has also been observed agitating the eyes of caimans and turtles in order to force tear production, which the male butterflies of the species can drink for minerals. The minerals, which can also be obtained from more typical mud-puddling behavior, are used for the butterfly's spermatophores during sexual reproduction. Tear-drinking is not limited to moths, but has recently also been observed in cockroaches. This behaviour might thus be far more common than previously thought. File:Grand mars changeant.jpg| Blue lesser purple emperor (Apatura ilia f. ilia) on dung File:Cyclosia papilionaris by Kadavoor.JPG|Cyclosia papilionaris feeding on a bird dropping File:Common_Baron_DSC_1478.jpg|Common baron (Euthalia aconthea) sipping from a guava fruit Catagramma pygas-thamyras.webm|Catagramma pygas drinking from metal fence ==References==