Butterflies by Dick Vane-Wright, The Natural History Museum, £9.95, ISBN 0565091794 Reviewed by David Tomlinson
SEX. It’s something that butterflies are rather good at, which explains why the Lepidoptera are one of the most successful orders of insects, with some 20,000 species worldwide. Most butterflies adopt a conventional courtship, with the female leading her suitor on a merry dance to test his flying ability and suitability. But some members of the tropical genus Heliconius have given up this expensive nonsense. Their males simply locate female pupae on the point of hatching. As the pupa splits, the male copulates with his child bride.…
