Blue Pansy clocks 169-minute mating session in NEHU’s first detailed courtship study from Arunachal.
ROOPAK GOSWAMI
Shillong, Feb 16: What happens when butterflies fall in love in the wild?
According to a new study by researchers from North-Eastern Hill University, it involves aerial dogfights, coded wing signals, rival interruptions — and in one case, a three-hour mating marathon.
The research, conducted in Talle Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, is the first such detailed natural history study of butterfly courtship and mating behaviour from Arunachal Pradesh. The research was conducted by Tajo Kamra and Sudhanya Ray Hajong of the Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University.
While the state is celebrated for its butterfly diversity, systematic field documentation of mating behaviour in natural habitats has remained largely absent until now.
The study observed 14 butterfly species between 2021 and 2023, carefully documenting male, female and paired behaviours.
Males were highly active — perching strategically, patrolling territories and chasing away rivals in mid-air. Some species used tight circular pursuit patterns, while others relied on straight-line chases. In several instances, mating attempts were disrupted by rival males, intruding insects or shifting weather conditions.
Females ultimately controlled mating outcomes. Rejection signals included remaining immobile, fluttering wings, raising the abdomen to prevent mating or flying away mid-courtship.
Outright female rejection was recorded in species such as Charaxes bernardus and Anthene emolus.
The researchers also documented species-specific “carousel” flights — circular paired movements before copulation. Interestingly, some species consistently moved clockwise while others moved anti-clockwise, suggesting subtle communication patterns unique to each species.
The longest copulation was recorded in the Blue Pansy, Junonia orithya, lasting 168 minutes.
Other successful mating durations included Zizeeria karsandra – 145 minutes
Argynnis childreni – 90 minutes, Lethe verma – 75 minutes, Ypthima huebneri – 55 minutes, Heliophorus epicles – 40 minutes.
Overall, 43% of the species achieved successful copulation, 43% faced interruptions, and 14% ended in female rejection.
The study also draws attention to how little is known about butterfly mating behaviour in Arunachal Pradesh despite the region’s rich biodiversity. By observing how males and females interact in natural forest settings, the research shows that mating success depends on communication, timing and repeated interaction rather than chance encounters.
Such behavioural observations help explain how butterflies reproduce and persist under changing environmental conditions.
The work also highlights the growing contribution of researchers from the Northeast in documenting wildlife behaviour and strengthening natural history knowledge from landscapes of the Eastern Himalayas that have long remained scientifically underrepresented.
Also Read: HYC condemns Pala’s ‘fully secured border’ remark, calls it ‘gaslighting’
Also Watch
Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.
Also, Follow us on
Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub
Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020
Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub
Download our app from playstore – Northeast Media Hub
