Abstract
Two excitatory photoreceptor sites (P1, P2) have been demonstrated on the genitalia in adults of both sexes of the Chinese yellow swallowtail butterflyPapilio xuthus. The light stimulus reaches sensory units through transparent windows in the overlying cuticle. Photoreceptor cells in the scaphium (♂P1) or papilla analis (♀P1) and both P2's respond similarly to light flashes with spike trains produced in afferent axons. All sites have spectral response curves which peak near 380 nm with a lower maximum at 450 nm. Afferent axons from P1 and P2 have ipsilateral terminal arborizations in the last abdominal ganglion; their somata are peripheral. Well developed in adults, this synthesis is absent in the mature larva ofPapilio xuthus. Comparative study of 22 other lepidopteran species in 10 families proves the presence of similar genital extraocular photoreception in all butterflies tested. It also occurs in skippers, but not in three other families of moths.
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