Meeting Abstract
Mating displays often consist of multiple signals, either in the same, or different, sensory modalities. These signals may be redundant, or may convey different information. Choosy individuals, or the receivers of these complex mating displays, may differentially weigh multiple signals when selecting a mate. This differential signal weighting in receivers has the potential to influence how signalers behave (and display) during the mate selection process. Males in the female-limited polymorphic butterfly Papilio polytes use both female wing pattern and female activity levels when determining whom to court. They find females with mimetic wing patterns more attractive than females with non-mimetic wing patterns, and active females more attractive than inactive females. It is unclear whether females modify their behavior to increase (or decrease) their likelihood of receiving male courtship. In addition, the relative signal weighting of wing pattern and activity is unknown. To address these two questions, we conducted a series of observational studies of a polymorphic P. polytes population, with an even sex ratio, in a large butterfly enclosure. We found that males almost exclusively courted active females, irrespective of female wing pattern, and were not more likely to court stationary mimetic females than stationary non-mimetic females. Females exhibited similar activity levels, irrespective of wing pattern. Our results suggest that males weigh female activity levels more highly than female wing pattern when selecting whom to court, even when in a large flight arena with access to multiple inactive females with a preferred wing pattern.
