Preference and performance of Pūrerehua Kahukura (Vanessa gonerilla gonerilla) on native and introduced nettles of Aotearoa
The preference-performance hypothesis suggests that female insects prefer to oviposit on the host plant that provides the highest fitness for offspring. However, introduced plants can cause ecological traps, wherein animals lay eggs on low quality (often introduced) species instead of higher quality (usually native) species. Pūrerehua kahukura/New Zealand red admiral butterfly (Vanessa gonerilla gonerilla) lay eggs on native and introduced nettles (Urtica spp.). We tested both host preference for female oviposition and host performance for development of larvae.