Rhabdomantis galatia
Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2023 8:25 am
This was the first time I've encountered this Skipper. The common name is "Branded Large Fox".
How did you even think that? It would never have crossed my mind. Amazing.Jshuey wrote: Sat Jul 22, 2023 11:36 am Is the vertical line an actual scent brand? I've never seen anything like that!
Well, male skippers are pretty vain when it come to how they smell. So anytime you see something wierd - it's probably a phermone delivery system. Males are all about scent glands, brands, stigmas, costal folds, HW pouches, and hair pencils on both wings and legs. I can picture some species that have 3 delivery mechanisms - and I'm sure there are species with four. And I bet that each of these deliver a different pheromone - if ever there was an interesting little research project for a graduate student - this would be a great one.
Well, I'm still incredibly impressed.Jshuey wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 1:10 pmWell, male skippers are pretty vain when it come to how they smell. So anytime you see something wierd - it's probably a phermone delivery system. Males are all about scent glands, brands, stigmas, costal folds, HW pouches, and hair pencils on both wings and legs. I can picture some species that have 3 delivery mechanisms - and I'm sure there are species with four. And I bet that each of these deliver a different pheromone - if ever there was an interesting little research project for a graduate student - this would be a great one.
John