From Attraction to Repellency: The Olfactory Response Pattern of Papilio polytes to Shared Volatiles from Frass and Host Plants Driven by Chemical Composition

Butterflies locate host sites using plant volatiles, while larval frass cues induce avoidance. This study investigated the olfactory responses of adult Papilio polytes to nine shared plant and frass volatiles across 1 × 10³ to 1 × 10⁶ ng load doses using electroantennography (EAG) and Y-tube olfactometer assays. EAG responses were significantly influenced by chemical composition, dose, and sex, as well as all their interactions. In contrast, behavioral choices were significantly driven only by chemical composition and its interaction with dose. Although females exhibited higher peripheral sensitivity than males, this physiological sexual dimorphism did not result in significant behavioral differences. Linalool, citronellal, and geraniol were identified as the most potent elicitors. While their single forms and binary blends elicited attraction or neutrality, the ternary mixture significantly repelled both sexes. These results demonstrate that VOC blend composition determines the direction of behavioral responses, with linalool playing a pivotal role in the transition from attraction to avoidance. These findings highlight the importance of shared plant-frass VOCs in host selection by oligophagous insects and provide a foundation for manipulating P. polytes behavior.