Different male mate location behaviour of the Glanville fritillary butterfly in different landscapes in the Tianshan Mountains, northwestern China

Abstract

In a previous study most males of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) were caught in valleys, whereas almost all females were distributed on slopes in the Tianshan Mountains, northwestern China. To help understand this phenomenon, male mate location behaviours were observed in different landscapes of the Tianshan Mountains. In valleys, males exhibited perching behaviour. On slopes, spatial distribution of males showed patrolling behaviour on meadows, but intermediate behaviour between perching and patrolling at forest edge. The temporal distribution of males also varied, being found on slopes from 7:00 to 18:00, but in valleys from 8:00 to 13:00 each day. Ambient temperatures were higher on slopes than those in valleys between 8:00 to 13:00. Males exhibited lower tolerance to high temperature than females, leading to the conclusion that valleys are more likely to be used by males as thermoregulation sites, rather than for mating.