A Study of Butterfly Diversity and Distribution at Kolkar Science College Campus Indore, India

Abstract

The photoautotroph’s and the heterotroph’s are associated with each other. The relationship may be either beneficial or determinant to each other. Such one beautiful beneficial relationship exists in nature between plants and butterflies. Flying insect are the most common and colorful component of an ecosystem in general and butterflies in particular. They play a very important in herbivorous food chain/web. The present study was carried out at Holkar Science College Campus Indore District, Madhya Pradesh, India, during 2014 to 2015. A total of 41 butterfly species were recorded. Family Nymphalidae (19) dominates in the study area, followed by Pieridae (08), with minimum members of Hesperiidae (02). Total larval food plants recorded from the campus are 44 belonging to 23 different families. Hygrophylla aericulata ware found most importance larval food plants as they supports the five pansies found here. The ratio of food plants and butterflies is near about 1:1. Plants of the Asteraceae family were more used by butterflies as nectar food plants. These findings are important with respect to butterfly diversity in planning conservation strategies in the area. The very common butterflies are Common jezebel, Common gull, Common emigrant, Mottled emigrant, Common grass yellow, Lime blue, Pale grass blue, Small grass jewel, and common are Lemon pansy, Great egg fly, Danaid egg fly, Plain tiger and among very rare includes Common baron, Common sailor, Chocolate pansy, Grey pansy Spot swordtail, Royal peacock, Commander, and Common wanderer.