Eur. J. Entomol. 122: 73-78, 2025 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2025.008

Comparison of flight behaviour and flight morphology between perching Lycaena phlaeas and patrolling Zizeeria maha (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)Original article

Michio IMAFUKU ORCID...
Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City, 606-8502 Japan; e-mail: imafuku@dream.jp

Perching (territorial) and patrolling are recognised as mate-locating tactics adopted by male butterflies. It is said that males adopting the former fly fast with high acceleration, whereas those adopting the latter fly at continuous and lower speeds. However, no previous studies have demonstrated these flight properties using quantitative data. In the present study, the flight properties of two lycaenid species, the perching L. phlaeas and the patrolling Z. maha, were investigated based on three-dimensional analysis. Males of L. phlaeas had higher flight velocities and higher relative flight time than those of Z. maha. Furthermore, the flight morphology that supports flight properties was examined. The perching L. phlaeas exhibited higher thorax-to-body mass ratios and greater wing loadings than patrolling Z. maha.

Keywords: Body/thorax mass ratio, flight directional change, flight velocity, relative flight time, wing aspect ratio, wing loading

Received: September 25, 2024; Revised: March 15, 2025; Accepted: March 15, 2025; Published online: April 8, 2025  Show citation

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IMAFUKU, M. (2025). Comparison of flight behaviour and flight morphology between perching Lycaena phlaeas and patrolling Zizeeria maha (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). EJE, 122, Article 73-78. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2025.008
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