Distribution of Virachola livia (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) Eggs and Influence of Conspecific Aggregation and Avoidance Behavior

The oviposition behaviour and distribution of the eggs of carpophagous Virachola livia Klug (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) was studied on pomegranate for six years. Taylor’s power law and Iwao’s mean patchiness regression, and common k proved the aggregated distribution of the eggs on pomegranate fruits. The butterflies tend to oviposit one egg per fruit, indicating the existence of conspecific egg avoidance behaviour. The study showed that the selection of oviposition sites was affected by the part of the fruit body and the cardinal direction of the tree canopy. Results suggest that the oviposition behavior of V. livia and, consequently, the distribution of the eggs may be regulated by the conspecific aggregation and conspecific egg avoidance. It is apparent that the butterfly integrates these two behaviors to maximize the success of its reproduction.