Breeding butterflies at home has recently become not only affordable, but even very fashionable. You can buy larvae in many pet stores, they will also give instructions on what to do with these larvae. It is possible that everything will work out for you, and your modest apartment will turn into a luxurious garden, along which graceful multi-colored butterflies flutter. But who is the female and which is the male? You need to try to answer this question if you want to further breed these insects without the mediation of a pet store.
Write down the title
When purchasing “source material,” be sure to write down the Latin name of the butterfly. There may not be a Russian translation, especially if you are buying tropical larvae. You can also write down how butterflies are called in their homeland. Try to find all possible information about this species. Read how your butterflies show sexual dimorphism. In some species, the difference between females and males is very significant - different colors, different sizes of wings, the presence or absence of antennae, etc. There are species, including those living in central Russia, in which the differences between the sexes are extremely difficult to notice.
How do they work?
The female butterfly lays its testicles, and laying occurs almost simultaneously. She has egg tubes on her body that look like small beads or rosary. These tubes represent the female genital tract. Nearby is the copulatory pouch, which connects to the vagina. Of course, these parts of the body can most often be viewed only under a microscope. To determine the gender of a living butterfly, look for a description of what the males and females of the species look like.
How can they differ
In some species, females and males differ in size and body structure. The female can be much larger than the male and vice versa. In some species, the pattern on the wings is very different, or even completely different colors. It can also happen that one butterfly has a lush mustache, while others do not. For example, males of moths have luxurious whiskers, while females do not have such a part of the body at all. Sometimes you can determine gender by behavior. For example, in the oak silkworm, the females are not only more massive than the males, but also rather lethargic and slow. Males are quite nimble. In some species, females are wingless or have only wing rudiments. This phenomenon is especially true for bagworms. There are usually more females than males. The explanation is simple. Males are constantly on the move, and quite often in open places, so they often die. For females, a hidden lifestyle is more characteristic, because they must take care of the offspring.
Is it possible to determine the sex of a pupa?
Sometimes this is possible if the pupa is large enough. Consider her last segment. Having found tubercles on the abdominal part (one or two - in different species in different ways), you can be sure that in front of you is the future father of the family. The bumps can be in the form of warts, bumps or a small mound, sometimes with a depression at the top. In the female pupa, in the middle of the last segment, on the contrary, there is a groove.
