Female butterflies mate 1.5 times on average, despite male shortage

According to research female monarch butterflies have no trouble finding a mate even when a parasite kills the majority of the malesSome females carry a parasite called Spiroplasma that kills all their male offspring meaning highly infected populations have very few malesBut the new study by the universities of Exeter Rwanda and Edinburgh and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund found females mated about 15 times on average regardless of how many males were aroundThe male proportion dropped below 1037 in some cases but it appears the remaining hardworking males managed to breed with most of the available females102037 of females remained unmated only slightly higher than the expected average in a population with plenty of males 51037It was an inspiring and powerful experience working along with an international team of experts and advancing our knowledge of monarchs which will shape my future career path towards researchbased conservation said first author Vincent Rutagarama a student at the University of RwandaProfessor Richard ffrenchConstant from the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeters Penryn Campus in Cornwall said It seems that monarch butterflies are very good at finding each other and matingThe proportion of males in butterfly populations fluctuates through the year but we found consistent evidence of female breeding success all year roundDr Ian Gordon of the University of Rwanda said this breeding success might explain how the malekilling parasite can be successfully transmitted in a population where males are rareThe irony is that if the entire population was infected monarch butterflies also known as African queens would produce no more princes and the parasite would die out along with the butterflies Dr Gordon saidFurther research is now needed to find out why some monarch butterflies remain uninfected and therefore able to produce healthy male offspringFuture research could also explain why the malekilling parasite is currently confined to a subsection of the East African contact zone where prevailing winds converge bringing flying insects togetherProfessor ffrenchConstant said other butterfly species have evolved resistance to parasites like Spiroplasma so monarchs which are very numerous and widespread are unlikely to be at riskHowever several years of severe drought in East Africa have caused a food crisis for humans and damaged biodiversity and ecosystemsWe hope the monarch butterfly could become a symbol of conservation across Africa Professor ffrenchConstant saidMonarchs live in savanna habitats When there is rain they thrive When there is no rain there are no butterflies no cattle and no food for humansThe future of the monarch butterfly is tied to that of the continent and humanity must tackle the climate and environment crisis to secure that futureIn butterflies and moths successful breeding involves the transfer of a spermatophore from the male to the female Spermatophores remain detectable after breedingIn this study carried out at one site in Rwanda and another in Kenya malefemale ratios were regularly counted and 10 randomly selected females were dissected each month to count spermatophoresAlso Read How to take care of your pets this scorching summerThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever