International Journal of Entomology Research

Authors
Tirthankar Dalui, Soumik Chowdhury, Subhankar Kumar Sarkar

Abstract
Plain tiger or African Monarch or Danaus chrysippus is a one of the well distributed species of Monarch butterfly in the Indian subcontinent. Apart from India, Danaus chrysippus can be found in large numbers in Africa, southern Europe, Saudi Arabia, tropical Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Danaus chrysippus feeds on different species of Milkweed of the genus Asclepias. Larvae of plain tiger feed on milkweed host plants that contain poisons that they may isolate and store in their bodies. These toxins are then transferred to the pupa and adult butterfly. A study was carried out to investigate the details of different developmental stages with morphometric study of D. chrysippus in both field and laboratory conditions. The study was conducted from June to September in 2019 at a private orchard in Barasat, West Bengal. Freshly laid eggs were collected from the field. After the emergence of adults, male and females were transferred to large cylindrical container and feed them with honey solution. For morphometric study five healthy larval samples of Danaus chrysippus were selected. Observations were recorded on the duration and detailed observations on eggs and larva of each instar, pupa and adults were made. The result revealed that the length of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth instar larva varied from 4.4 to 4.8 mm, 8.5 to 8.8 mm,13.9 to 14.2 mm,20.8 to 21.5 mm and 29.8 to 30.2 mm Respectively. While the width varied from 1 to 1.3 mm, 1.6 to 1.8 mm, 2.7 to 3 mm, 3.3 to 3.6 mm and 5.4 to 5.7 mm respectively. It is evident that total life cycle of plain tiger was completed in between 30 to 33 days with an average of 31.4±1.14 days.