M MATING ITHOMIID BUTTERFLIES, BRAZIL
Most female butterflies dissipate their sex pheromones from large, brightly colored scales arranged in tufts at the inner base of the hind wings to attract males. Kjell has photographed unique examples of these veritable “bouquets of flowers in the night flying Cossidae family in Brazil. Species of this butterfly has evolved an even more effective way to disseminate her pheromones; she extrudes two separate “side by side: bouquets from her genitalia. With upraised body in the air, she slowly waves the bouquets back and forth to evaporate the scent. Only males of the same species recognize the female’s specific perfume. Only a few molecules of the scent are sufficient for a male to find the female from a distance of up to quarter of a mile.