The Puddlers

[Commander]

Ever so often, we encounter many species of butterflies which puddle (stopping at damp patches on roads, dirt paths, etc., to drink from a variety of sources). However, not all species puddle though, and in quite a number of the families like Papilionidae and Pieridae in particular, only the males puddle. The physiological reasons for puddling have been discussed here (http://b-pals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4201) and gives some explanations why only the males puddle.

We'd like to keep this thread open for everyone to post their encounters of puddling butterflies so that we can have a list of all the puddlers as a reference. So upload your puddling photos here and we will update the checklist as we go along!

Remember, to define "puddle" the butterfly must be feeding on some damp surface on the ground, or some dropping, excreta or other 'salt-bearing' substance. This is different from those butterflies which are feeding on the fermented juices of rotting fruit, sap of trees and so on. So please distinguish between the two.

List of Puddling Butterfly Species - Observed and/or Photographed.

Family : Papilionidae SubFamily : Papilioninae

Pachliopta aristolochiae asteris (Common Rose)
Papilio demoleus malayanus (Lime Butterfly)
Papilio demolion demolion (Banded Swallowtail)
Papilio polytes romulus (Common Mormon)
Papilio memnon agenor (Great Mormon)
Papilio prexaspes prexaspes (Blue Helen)
Graphium sarpedon luctatius (Common Bluebottle)
Graphium evemon eventus (Blue Jay)
Graphium doson evemonides (Common Jay)
Graphium agamemnon agamemnon (Tailed Jay)
Pathysa antiphates itamputi (Five Bar Swordtail)

Family : Pieridae Subfamily : Pierinae
Delias pasithoe parthenope (Red Base Jezebel)
Delias hyparete metarete (Painted Jezebel)
Appias lyncida vasava (Chocolate Albatross)
Appias libythea olferna (Striped Albatross)
Hebomoia glaucippe aturia (Great Orange Tip)

Family : Pieridae Subfamily : Coliadinae

Catopsilia pomona pomona (Lemon Emigrant)
Eurema hecabe contubernalis (Common Grass Yellow)
Eurema simulatrix tecmessa
Eurema blanda snelleni (Three Spot Grass Yellow)
Eurema sari sodalis (Chocolate Grass Yellow)
Gandaca harina distanti (Tree Yellow)

Family : Nymphalidae Subfamily : Danainae

Euploea midamus singapura (Blue Spotted Crow)
Euploea tulliolus ledereri (Dwarf Crow)
Euploea radamanthus radamanthus (Magpie Crow)

List to be updated ...

[horace2264]

Posted this pic last week in the sighting forum.
Two butts, Tapena thwaitesi bornea and Common Hedge Blue, in one pic feeding on the bird dropping on the wet ground.

Horace

[Commander]

Adding on one more puddler that is more often seen hopping in the low bushes than on the wet sand. :)

[Silverstreak]

same guy different medium.

[Silverstreak]

After my sweat!

[horace2264]

One puddling Cabbage White.


Horace

[abielneo]

Papilionidae

2 Great Helens! Surprised they weren't on the list in the first place. :hmmm:

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/abielneo/Butterflies/CIMG4433.jpg

Not sure if you want to add non-local species in, here are some dragontails.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/abielneo/Butterflies/CIMG4455.jpg

Nymphalidae

Is feeding on bird droppings considered puddling? If it is here's Eulaceura osteria kumana and Tawny Palmfly.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/abielneo/Butterflies/eulaceuraandtawny.jpg

Lycaenidae

Fluffy Tit likes my sweat.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/abielneo/Butterflies/IMG_2423.jpg

[atronox]

[QUOTE=abielneo;55623]

2 Great Helens! Surprised they weren't on the list in the first place. :hmmm:

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/abielneo/Butterflies/CIMG4433.jpg

They look more like red helens (http://www.b-pals.com/butts/spc_photo.php?spc_id=277&img_list_id=211). Nice shot. Red helens r known to puddle. Mr Khew says that great helens haf not been observed to puddle in singapore. Does anyone know why da bottom helen has those white spots at the edge of the hindwings?

[atronox]

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee102/abielneo/Butterflies/IMG_2423.jpg
This fluffy tit is feeding on bird droppings!

[Sky Blue]

you have problem reading? thought abileneo mentioned that "Fluffy Tit likes my sweat." ;P

I can see hairs on probably human arm.

[atronox]

M talking abt those things on his arm.

[m00nman26]

Sharing some other common puddlers not in the list :)

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s237/jameschia26/IMG_4629-1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s237/jameschia26/IMG_4540-1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s237/jameschia26/IMG_4475-1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s237/jameschia26/IMG_4032-1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s237/jameschia26/IMG_3965-1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s237/jameschia26/IMG_2649-1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s237/jameschia26/IMG_2643-1.jpg

[Commander]

The "Rounded 6-Line Blue" is actually another Tailess Line Blue. :)

[m00nman26]

The "Rounded 6-Line Blue" is actually another Tailess Line Blue. :)

Aiya pai seh :embrass:
thx for the correction ID :cheers:

[Silverstreak]

Almost forgotten that we have a puddler list to update.....

Pathysa antiphates itamputi (Five Bar Swordtail)
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d156/Schir/2008_01_14_IMG_7702.jpg

Polyura hebe plautus (Plain Nawab)
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d156/Schir/2008_01_14_IMG_7765.jpg


Catopsilia pomona pomona (Lemon Emigrant, 迁粉蝶)
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d156/Schir/2008_01_14_IMG_7829.jpg


Papilio polytes romulus (Common Mormon, 玉带凤蝶)
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d156/Schir/2008_01_14_IMG_7681.jpg

:cheers:

[Silverstreak]

Junonia atlites atlites (Grey Pansy)

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d156/Schir/2008_01_14_IMG_7815.jpg

Curetis santana malayica (Malayan Sunbeam)

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d156/Schir/2008_01_15_IMG_7970.jpg

[m00nman26]

Long time no updates on this thread :)
here are a few more

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s237/jameschia26/Butterflies/IMG_5403.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s237/jameschia26/Butterflies/IMG_4395.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s237/jameschia26/IMG_5616-1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s237/jameschia26/IMG_5606-1.jpg

[Snowywolf]

and i taught (and almost all of the other 'cher) that our dear butterflies feed on nectar :what:

now i'm supposed to tell my kids that they feed on bird sh*t?:sweat:

they'd get marked wrong for exams.. :bsmile:

[Commander]

and i taught (and almost all of the other 'cher) that our dear butterflies feed on nectar :what:

now i'm supposed to tell my kids that they feed on bird sh*t?:sweat:

they'd get marked wrong for exams.. :bsmile:

Now that you're an "enlightened" teacher, it would be good to correct that myth that butterflies feed only on nectar. There are a lot of better-read and better-'educated' kids around these days, thanks to the Internet, so the teachers better be more conversant with the accuracy of such things lest they be embarrassed by their young charges.

Take a look at our 14-year old Aaron. I think he knows a lot more about butts and critters in general than the average teacher in Singapore.

My kids are over that age now, but if a teacher marks them wrong, if they answer a question in an exam that "Butterflies feed only on nectar from flowers" as FALSE, I would go and see the teacher and bring them out to prone at one of our spas to show them what other stuff butts feed on. ;P

[atronox]

No lah, it's actually quite simple. Just apply wat u've learnt from various websites;)

[horace2264]

Sharing shots of two puddlers taken these two days.

[Great Mormon]

1st shot is a sky blue!? Nice shots!

[horace2264]

1st shot is a sky blue!? Nice shots!
Yes, it is. :)

[teotp]

Hi Khew,

Dr Konrad Fiedler and co-workers published a very good research paper entitled: "Mud-puddling behavior in tropical butterflies: in search of proteins or minerals?" The authors listed more than 70 Bornean butterfly species showing puddling behaviour from their research work in 1996 and 1997. And diffrerent minerals and amino acids were used by the authors to investigate the puddling preferences of butterflies. The same paper I recommended to Jacqueline (See Butt. Ecology Behaviour & Evolution: Why do butterflies puddle?)

If you and anyone interest to read it? I will send you a pc copy(only 10 copies available). Just send your postal address or fax. no. to my email (from member list). Sorry no scanning and send by email.

Teo T P

[Bluebottle]

Thanks Teo for the info and kind offer.
I found a online copy at springerlink.com (http://www.springerlink.com/content/5vk43ak203ck8f58/fulltext.pdf) Is it the same article?

[teotp]

Yes Loke, this is the article.

Teo T P

[Chequered Lancer]

Sorry I'm very late... I'll try to compile something...

Prosotas nora superdates,(Common Line-Blue)
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/644084_436999539700988_416366686_n.jpg
Megisba malaya sikkima,(The Malayan)
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/547630_456187171115558_217117567_n.jpg
Euchrysops cnejus cnejus
(Gram Blue)
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/735226_469910413076567_1819665061_n.jpg
Lexias pardalis dirteana,(Archduke) (Female)
This one was genuinely puddling this time, not slurping on fallen fruits! :grin2:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/74120_469911769743098_1021896762_n.jpg
Papilio demoleus malayanus,(Lime Butterfly) Duo!
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/735233_469925023075106_555904236_n.jpg
Halpe ormenes vilasina,(Dark Banded Ace) (Male)
I've seen them genuinely puddle on many occasions.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/249132_534019113332363_815098889_n.jpg