---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Neil Soares [email protected]
Date: 9 November 2014 19:30
Subject: Re: The Frog Beetle and the Butterfly
To:
Hi Krushnamegh,
Good questions. Had considered them. No, its proboscis was not extended
and also if it intended to feed on the fresh sap oozing out [like the ant
was doing] it would have been near the the front of the beetle [where the
breach had occurred] not its rear.
With regards,
Neil Soares.
------------------------------
*From:* "Krushnamegh Kunte [email protected]
*Sent:* Sunday, November 9, 2014 10:46 AM
*Subject:* Re: The Frog Beetle and the Butterfly
Neil, that's an interesting observation. Was the butterfly trying to
feed? Had it its proboscis extended? I can't be sure from the images. If
its proboscis was not extended, it might be waiting for the beetle to move
so that it could feed on the fresh plant sap oozing from the wound that the
beetle seemingly had caused. But again, difficult to say from the pictures.
With best regards,
Krushnamegh.
-------------------------------------------------
Krushnamegh Kunte, PhD
Ramanujan Fellow and Reader F
National Center for Biological Sciences (NCBS)
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR)
GKVK, Bellary Road, Bengaluru 560065, India.
Ph: +91 80 2366-6085 (office), -6086 (lab)
Mobile: + 91 9483-525-925
Phone numbers in Europe until 5 Sept 2014: +44 7852-324-990 (KK) and
+44 7550-046-862 (Deepa)
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Lab website: http://biodiversitylab.org/,
http://www.ncbs.res.in/krushnamegh/home
Member, IUCN/Species Survival Commission South Asian Invertebrate
Specialist Group (2013-2016)
Indian Foundation for Butterflies and Butterflies of India website:
http://ifoundbutterflies.org/
Emails: [email protected], [email protected]
On Saturday 08 November 2014 04:30 PM, Neil Soares [email protected]
wrote:
Hi,
Thought this might be interesting…
Photographed on my property at Shahapur last weekend.
Was photographing a female Indian Sunbeam [Curetis thetis – Photographs 1
& 2]. Noticed a Frog-legged Leaf Beetle also called the Frog Beetle
[possibly Sagra fermonta] gnawing on a branch / liana close-by [Photograph
3]. A Black Ant also seemed intent on imbibing some of the sap. The Sunbeam
suddenly landed in their midst and proceeded to explore the area around the
Frog Beetle finally ending up at its rear [Photographs 4 to 10].
Frog Beetles belong to the Order Coleoptera which are not known to secrete
‘honey-dew’, so obviously the ant was not protecting the Frog Beetle in
exchange for any reward /inducement.
Also, Indian Sunbeams generally do not visit flowers, but prefer damp
areas [mud-puddling] and bird-droppings. So presumably the butterfly was
investigating the Frog Beetle’s posterior for its excretion.
Any comments ?
Please also check these links :
Google Groups
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#%21searchin/butterfly_india/indian$20sunbeam$20Neil$20Soares%7Csort:relevance/butterfly_india/q2-IoBnV7Y0/hbaSR0FQgPsJ>
Google Groups
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#%21searchin/butterfly_india/indian$20sunbeam$20Neil$20Soares%7Csort:relevance/butterfly_india/StGUdcAzlN8/70zuRUZWxW0J>
Google Groups
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#%21searchin/indiantreepix/Buffalo$20Tree$20Hopper$20Neil$20Soares%7Csort:relevance/indiantreepix/DmDFDagQEOE/KulBN0_bF1IJ>
With regards,
Neil Soares.
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