New larval host plants for three butterfly (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) species from Rahr region of West Bengal, India

Abstract

Centranthera tranquebarica (Spreng.) Merr. (Orobranchaceae) and Mallotus repandus (Rottler) Müll. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) are reported as new host plants of Junonia orithya (Linnaeus, 1758) (Nymphalidae) and Rapala manea (Hewitson, 1863) (Lycaenidae) butterflies from Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal, India. Schleichera oleosa (Sapindaceae), a deciduous tree, is reported as new host plant of Coladenia indrani (Moore, [1866]) (Hesperiidae) from Bankura district of West Bengal, India. Defensive mechanism of Junonia orithya larva by rolling itself into a tight spiral is also observed.

A preliminary checklist of larval host plants of butterflies of Bankura and Purulia districts of West Bengal, India

“…A checklist of 117 butterfly species was established by Mukherjee and Mondal (2020) and new larval host plants for three butterflies were reported by . Recently, new larval host plants of Virachola isocrates (Fabricius) and Junonia orithya (Linnaeus) were reported by Mukherjee (2022a), two new larval host plant of Leptosia nina (Fabricius) and Rapala manea (Hewitson) were reported by Mukherjee (2022b), and three new larval host plants were newly reported by Banerjee et al (2023) from Bankura district. On the other side, a preliminary checklist of butterflies of Baghmundi in Purulia was reported by Samanta et al (2017).…”