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VOL. 6, ISSUE 3 (2021)
Flower visitation and preferences of Danaus chrysippus L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)
Authors
Deepak Singh, Amit Vincent, Isaac L Mathew
Abstract
Nutritional worthiness of resources depend on various benefits and cost assessments for butterflies. Visitation time of Danaus chrysippus was observed on four different local variety of flowering plants, viz. Pentas, Helianthus, Catharanthus and Petunia, to deduce preference based on the worthiness of foraging resources. The relationship between the visitation time and time of the day was also investigated. Longest visitation time was observed on Catharanthus sp. (157.06 sec) followed by Helianthus sp. (113.40 sec), Pentas sp. (111.10 sec) and Petunia sp. (43.90 sec). Statistically significant differences were observed between the mean time spent in morning, afternoon and evening, on Pentas (F2,12= 7.043, p<.05), Catharanthus (F2,12= 12.93, p<.05) and Petunia (F2,12= 52.01, p<.001), but not on Helianthus (F2,12= 1.908, p=.191). Longest visitation times were observed on Catharanthus in morning (14.27±1.82, p<.001) and afternoon (11.14±0.74, p<.001), but in the evening it was highest on Helianthus (9.12±1.49, p<.05). Longer visitation time corresponded to more rewarding foraging resources such as nectar and its accessibility; while shorter time corresponded to longer corolla tube, as in Petunia, and lower nectar content. These aspects of local butterflies give vital inputs for their conservation by promoting local flowering plants as a strategy.
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Pages:105-108
How to cite this article:
Deepak Singh, Amit Vincent, Isaac L Mathew "Flower visitation and preferences of <em>Danaus chrysippus</em> L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) ". International Journal of Entomology Research, Vol 6, Issue 3, 2021, Pages 105-108
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