I swear there was a butterfly/moth image thread, but can't find it for the life of me so here!


Photograph by Juan Manuel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creatonotos_gangis

....Adult males secrete the pheromone hydroxydanaidal in order to attract mates. The amount produced, and the size of the coremata (scent organs) which produce it, are however dependent on the diet that the moth experienced as a caterpillar. If the larval diet contained pyrrolizidine alkaloids, then the coremata become large and the male will release up to 400 miligrams(0.4 grams) of hydroxydanaidal, but if it does not, then the coremata do not grow large and no scent is produced.[4].....

Worst case of piles I've ever seen.

You don't get piles on your genitalia.

The coremata, seen everted in the above photo, are scent organs attached to the male genitalia. Their purpose is to spread pheromones into the air, to entice females to approach, and increase the receptiveness to mating of those same females. Think of it as a built in Lynx aftershave dispenser.

Imagine how much easier mating would be for humans, if the males had scent dispensers of this sort, producing chemicals that had the effect of "programming" females to copulate.

I thought it was a moth version of a flux capacitor

Calilasseia wrote:
Imagine how much easier mating would be for humans if the males had scent dispensers of this sort

Given the size of those ones relative to body mass they would be a tad cumbersome

So just as well then that we have more practical means instead to attract mates with

surreptitious57 wrote:...So just as well then that we have more practical means instead to attract mates with

We do?

Yes we do for we give off pheromones which are chemicals that arouse the opposite sex

And all animals have mechanisms for attracting mates so this is not exclusive to humans

Horwood Beer-Master wrote:

surreptitious57 wrote:...So just as well then that we have more practical means instead to attract mates with

We do?

If you haven't then you should try sticking four large feathers up your behind, just like the moth.