Effect of experience on mating behaviour in male Heliconius melpomene butterflies

Abstract

Many animals have the ability to learn, and some taxa have shown learned mate preference, which may be important for speciation. The butterfly Heliconius melpomene is a model system for several areas of research, including hybridization, mate selection and speciation, partially due to its widespread diversity of wing patterns. It remains unclear whether social experience shapes realized mating preferences in this species. Here we test whether previous experience with a female influences male mate preference for two H. melpomene subspecies, H. m. malleti and H. m. rosina . We conducted no-choice assays to determine whether male courtship (versus no courtship) and latency to court differed between naïve males and males with previous exposure to a sexually mature, virgin female. To test whether assortative courtship preference is learned in H. melpomene , males were either paired with a female who shared their phenotype or one who did not. Naïve H. m. malleti males courted assortatively, while naïve H. m. rosina males did not. When data were pooled across subspecies, experienced males reduced their courting relative to naïve males, suggesting that social experience with a female sans copulation may be perceived as a negative experience. This effect was likely driven by experienced H. m. malleti males, who reduced their courting relative to naïve males when analysed independently, while experienced H. m. rosina males did not. Our results suggest that social experience can influence male mating behaviour in H. melpomene and has the potential to contribute to the high rate of diversification observed in Heliconius butterflies. • Learning whom to court may be either adaptive or maladaptive when around heterospecifics. • Using no-choice assays, we tested for courtship learning in male H. melpomene. • Male H. melpomene reduced courtship after encountering but not copulating with a female. • H. melpomene males can use past experience to inform current mating decisions. • This may be adaptive if encounters with heterospecific, unreceptive females are common.