Species composition of butterflies associated with nectar feeding on Libidibia coriaria (Jacq.) Schltdl (Magnoliopsida: Fabales: Fabaceae)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9904.18.3.28582-28589Keywords:
Bioindicators, butterfly host, conservation, Divi-divi, foraging behaviour, Kerala Agricultural University, nector feeding, phenology, plant-pollinator interactions, urban healthAbstract
Butterflies are vital bioindicators and pollinators, with their diversity often reflecting ecosystem health. This study assessed the species richness of butterflies visiting Libidibia coriaria during its flowering season within the Kerala Agricultural University campus. A total of 41 butterfly species were recorded, representing approximately 29.5% of the 139 butterfly species previously documented from the campus. The high species richness observed around L. coriaria underscores its ecological importance as a key nectar source that sustains butterfly foraging activity.
References
Aneesh, K.S., C.K. Adarsh & P.O. Nameer (2013). Butterflies of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) campus, Thrissur, Kerala, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 5(9): 4422–4440. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o2870.4422-40
Bhakare, M. & H. Ogale (2018). A Guide to Butterflies of Western Ghats (India). Milind Bhakare, 496 pp. https://books.google.co.in/books?id=R6jivQEACAAJ
Chacko, K.C., R.C. Pandalai, K. K. Seethalakshmi, C. Mohanan, G. Mathew & N. Sasidharan (2002). Manual of Seeds of Forest Trees, Bamboos and Rattans. Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Kerala.
Deepakkumar, R.& S.S. Ramanan (2016). Flowering and fruiting phenology of Caesalpinia coriaria (Jacq.) Wild. International Journal of Hill Farming 29(1): 72–78.
Kehimkar, I. (2008). The Book of Indian Butterflies. Bombay Natural History Society, 497 pp.
Kunte, K. (2000). Butterflies of Peninsular India. Universities Press, Hyderabad & Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru, 270 pp.
Nimbalkar, R.K., S.K. Chandekar & S.P. Khunte (2011). Butterfly diversity in relation to nectar food plants from Bhor Tahsil, Pune district, Maharashtra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 3(3): 1601–1609. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o2612.1601-9
Martínez-Adriano, C.A., C. Díaz-Castelazo & A. Aguirre-Jaimes (2018). Flower-mediated plant-butterfly interactions in an heterogeneous tropical coastal ecosystem. PeerJ. 6. 1–22. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5493
Meerabai, G. (2021). A study on attitude of butterflies at forage on diverse morphological flowers. Current Approaches in Science and Technology Research 9: 14–19. https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/castr/v9/10706D
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 V. Ajay Krishna, M.P. Gopika, S. Adithyan, K.S. Aneesh
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors own the copyright to the articles published in JoTT. This is indicated explicitly in each publication. The authors grant permission to the publisher Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society to publish the article in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The authors recognize WILD as the original publisher, and to sell hard copies of the Journal and article to any buyer. JoTT is registered under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY), which allows authors to retain copyright ownership. Under this license the authors allow anyone to download, cite, use the data, modify, reprint, copy and distribute provided the authors and source of publication are credited through appropriate citations (e.g., Son et al. (2016). Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the southeastern Truong Son Mountains, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(7): 8953–8969. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2785.8.7.8953-8969). Users of the data do not require specific permission from the authors or the publisher.
