Olfactory conditioning of the butterfly Agraulis vanillae (L.) (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) to floral but not host-plant odors

Abstract

The associative learning capacity of male and female nymphalid butterflies, Agraulis vanillae, was investigated. Both males and females were conditioned to chemical stimuli of amyl acetate and butyl acetate, but not of host-plant volatile emissions, although our EAG recordings demonstrate that Agraulis can detect host-plant aroma as well as both acetates. More female than male Agraulis were conditioned. Female butterflies reared in the laboratory generally exhibited a higher percentage of conditional responses than those collected in nature. The number of conditional responses on the first day of experiments was significantly smaller than on the ensuing 2–7 days.