Female Heliconius hewitsoni butterflies were found to aggregate during oviposition, producing multi-parent egg clutches. This behavior occurred when host plants were locally plentiful, indicating that females chose to oviposit gregariously. Collective clutch size correlated with host growth rate and with the number of females contributing to a clutch. Eggs did not positively bias host plant growth. Collective clutch size adjustment may represent a mechanism for facilitating larval aggregation while reducing intraspecific competition.
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1 December 2003
Gregarious Oviposition and Clutch Size Adjustment by a Heliconius Butterfly
Robert D. Reed
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BIOTROPICA
Vol. 35 • No. 4
December 2003
Vol. 35 • No. 4
December 2003
communal oviposition
intraspecific competition
larval aggregation
Passiflora
social oviposition