Puddling in butterflies is an essential physiological phenomenon, by which they gain mineral nutrients required for their reproductive success and flight. The preference given to the puddling by butterflies has been analysed by two hypotheses: butterflies puddle when there is a scarcity of nutritional resource in one hypothesis and competition with other males to increase their probability of mating in the other. In the present investigation, an attempt has been made to verify these hypotheses through experimental evidences in the butterfly Papilio polytes, in which only males are known to puddle. Our investigation revealed the significance of puddling as an alternative source of nutrition in the absence of nectar. However, increase in the number of males in a given vicinity with constant number of females enhances the puddling activity in males. This shows the importance of puddling as a distinct competitive behaviour by which male improves their chances of mating. Additionally, in both cases the puddling is drastically regulated by the environmental temperature. Males prefer to puddle at a temperature ranging from 26 °C to 28 °C, which is considered as optimum for puddling activity. Further, the fecundity and longevity of imago are completely unaffected by puddling activity. All these results are in good agreement with the existing hypotheses and show the behavioural significance of puddling in butterflies.

蝴蝶成群结队是一种必不可少的生理现象，通过这种现象，蝴蝶可以获得繁殖成功和逃跑所需的矿物质营养。两种假设分析了蝴蝶对水dd的偏好：一种假设中的营养资源匮乏时，蝴蝶会butterflies食；另一种假设则与其他雄性竞争以增加其交配的可能性。在本次调查中，已尝试通过蝴蝶凤蝶polytes中的实验证据来验证这些假设，其中只有雄性会出现水坑。我们的调查显示，在没有花蜜的情况下，将水饺作为替代营养的重要性。但是，在给定的邻近区域内，随着雌性数量的增加，雄性数量的增加会增强雄性的泥浆活动。这表明了水准作为一种独特的竞争行为的重要性，通过这种行为，雄性增加了交配的机会。另外，在两种情况下，水坑都受到环境温度的严格控制。雄性更喜欢在26°C至28°C的温度范围内进行水坑化，这被认为是最佳的水坑活动。此外，伊马果的繁殖力和寿命完全不受泥浆活动的影响。