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>Nature`s strategies for PREVENTING hybrids, this is what interests me,
>
>... the bees were specifically
>attracted ONLY to the scent of that specific orchid!
>>>I've often joked with friends that the difference in smell between
the flower of my Amorphophallus konjac and Typhonium (=Sauromatum)
gutattum is like the difference between cat and dog
. In nature, parasites are often quite species specific
and it should come as no surprise that there might be differences in
preferences of the type of in which insects may lay their
eggs. Perhaps there is some type of species-specific mimicry at work
here.<<<
Dear Don,
EXACTLY!! See my note on the ideas about the possible pollenators of
Dracontium near the end of my note. And by the way, there in fact at least
one group of dung beetles that in fact ARE specific to different animals
excrement in the Neotropical jungle, and years ago when I was studying one
genus, Phaenus, the rarest was only trapped if I ate a large fish meal the
day before I provided the 'bait' for my trap! To obtain another species,
bait had to be 'made' by eating ripe fruit and hanging the trap high, as
these fed only on monkey dung which stayed on leaves and limbs on its way
down to the forest floor, where yet another related but different group of
beetles disposed of it!
All collectors should collect, note and more importantly observe which
insects are attracted to the blooms of all Aroids in the wild during their
scent production period.
Cheers,
Julius
--
Don Martinson
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mailto:llmen@execpc.com
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