Aussie scientists discover first case of 'cannibalistic behaviour' in insects; read more

Scientists in Australia have observed a butterfly species that feeds on its own offspring. Yi-Kai Tea, the study's lead author and a doctorate candidate at the University of Sydney's School of Life and Environmental Sciences, claimed this was the first time cannibalism in insects has been documented.

The study, which was published on Wednesday in the Scientific Naturalist magazine, demonstrated how milkweed butterflies, which belong to the Danainae subfamily of butterflies, defied conventional wisdom about how insects care for their young ones, according to Xinhua.

The behaviour doesn't fit into categories of predation, parasitism or mutualism

Tea explained that the behaviour does not easily fit into the usual categories of predation, parasitism, or mutualism, and thus provides a fresh challenge to evolutionary theory. He also stated that they have invented the term 'kleptopharmacophagy,' which translates as "chemical theft for eating".

Male butterflies in the woods of North Sulawesi, Indonesia, were observed removing toxins from larvae, even their own species, to make substances that could help them attract a partner, according to Tea. He described it as "strange" for a species to hurt its own progeny, hence reducing its chances of passing on its genetic code.

Tea told Xinhua that it appears contradictory that in their search for toxins, the species are attacking larvae of other Danainae butterflies as well as their own. He claimed that in the end, it was a display of an animal putting its offspring's life ahead of its own. He also added that butterflies are often mistakenly thought to be delicate species found in flower fields and meadows. The truth is that they are quite "metal" and do a variety of bizarre and unexplainable things.

Milkweed butterflies are known to feast on dead insects

While milkweed butterflies have been known to feast on other dead insects, this was the first record of family members eating each other alive. Regardless, whether the caterpillars died as a direct result of being scratched to death is yet unknown. Tea said he and his colleagues vacationing scholars were taken aback and assumed it was a one-time occurrence, according to Xinhua. However, after comparing their findings to those of other amateur naturalists, they felt it was something worth investigating further.