Devagiri Journal of Science 6(1), 29-31 © 2020 St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Devagiri

www.devagirijournals.com ISSN 2454-2091

Studies on the nina (Fabricius, 1793) interactions on Cardamine hirsuta L.

Abhilash E.S.* and Arunima

Department of Botany, Sree Narayana Guru College, Chelannur, Kozhikode, Kerala

Received: 16.09.2019 Abstract

Revised and Accepted: 20.10.2020 are beautiful that are very specific to host plants. Butterflies use Cardamine as a host plant to lay eggs and the developing Key words: , Leptosia caterpillar is enormously feeding the leaves and stems of Cardamine nina,Host plant, Cardamine hirsuta L. plants. In the life cycle, butterflies in caterpillar to the pupal stage are only depending on the Cardamine plant. When it becomes a butterfly it will fly away to their favourite nectar-feeding plants. Psyche butterflies select cleome plants as their favourite nectar plant.

1. Introduction which have short stems connecting Cardamine is a large of them to the petiole. Flowers are white flowering plants belonging to the usually seen in a group on the top of mustard family, Brassicaceae. the vertical stem. All the flowers reach Cardamine is an alternative of the same level due to the elongation of Arabidopsis which is a powerful pedicels of the older flower. Flowers model system. Arabidopsis thaliana is have 4 sepals and 4 petals. There are considered as the primary model four stages in the metamorphosis of organism for plant science (Hay & butterflies that are egg, larva, pupa Tsiantis, 2016) and it is an edible plant and adult. Butterflies are attracted to also. Cardamine hirsuta is commonly different flowers to take nectar and seen in a moist area and available all they also help in pollination. over the country. It has some slightly , the psyche, is a small hairy nature so it is called hairy bitter butterfly belonging to the family case. Their seeds are arranged in the . The only recorded local host seed pods as the seeds attain maturity plant, , is a it will burst out. It take 40-45 days to common herbaceous weed with violet- complete their life cycle. blue to pink flowers (Annon, 2020).The caterpillars of the Psyche feed on the The Cardamine grow with rosette of relatively young to middle-aged leaves leaves at the base of the stem, while and young/ tender stems. Locally, there may be leaves on the upright Psyche shares the same host plant with stem, most of the leaves will be part of striped Albatross and Cabbage White. the basal rosette. Three cardamine plant were The compound leaves in this rosette collected from Munnar during field are pinnately divided into 8–15 leaflets

*Corresponding author 29 © 2020 St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Devagiri E-mail: [email protected] All rights Reserved Devagiri Journal of Science 6(1), 29-31 trip. Munnar is a high altitude region situated at around 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. Cardamine plants from Munnar was introduced into a low altitude region of Kozhikode and started to maintain to make the population of Cardamine. A study has been attempted to know the interaction between Cardamine plants and Figure.1 butterflies. 2. Materials and Methods Cardamine plants, caterpillars of butterflies, glass bowls and empty glass aquarium tank to see the development of butterflies. Caterpillars along with Cardamine plants were kept it in glass bowls for observation of different stages of butterfly. Figure. 2 3. Results and Discussion In the caterpillar stage(Larva) they are busy with eating the leaves and stem of Cardamine plant and it is wandering through the whole plant, frequently putting excreta(Figure.1) .On the third day this caterpillar changed to pupa structure hanging in the stem of plant. They were in the state of rest not eating any food. Figure. 3 Colour of the pupa was green, on In order to know the nectar feeding the 6th day the wing formed (Figure. specificity, different nectar feeding 2) and on 8th day it become a flowers including the cardamine plant butterfly. In the life cycle of psyche were kept in a glass box; psyche butterflies only in caterpillar to the butterfly is only attracted to the pupal stage, it is depending on the cleome plant (Figure. 3). Cleome Cardamine plant, after that it becomes rutidosperma, commonly known as a butterfly and fly away to their fringed spider flower or purple favourite nectar-feeding plant. Psyche cleome, psyche butterfly is depending butterflies use cleome plants as their this plant for nectar feeding and also favourite nectar plant. Their life cycle to lay eggs. Cleome is locally available includes egg, larva, and pupa and then host plant having violet blue to pink it becomes a butterfly. flowers. Nithin et al., (2018) carried out

30 Devagiri Journal of Science 6(1), 29-31 elaborative documentation of host opinion in genetics & development, plants of butterflies of Western Ghats. 39: 1–7. Several researchers reported the Kalesh, S. & S.K. Prakash (2015). host plants of psyche butterfly as ; Additions to the larval host baducca (Wynter-Blyth 1957; plants of butterflies of the Kunte 2000; Robinson et al. 2010), Western Ghats, Kerala, South Capparis spinosa (Wynter-Blyth 1957; (Rhopalocera, Kunte 2000), (Kunte ): Part 2. Journal of 2006), (Wynter-Blyth Bombay Natural History Society, 1957; Kunte 2000), 112: 111-114. (Robinson et al. 2010; Wynter-Blyth Kunte, K. (2000). Butterflies of 1957), Cleome rutidosperma Peninsular India. Universities var.burmannii (Kalesh & Prakash Press (Hyderabad) and Indian 2015), (Wynter-Blyth Academy of Sciences 1957; Kunte 2000. (Bangalore), 254pp. Kunte, K. (2006). Additions to known 4. Conclusion larval host plants of Indian Major findings of this study are butterflies. Journal of the psyche butterflies use cardamine as a Bombay Natural History host plant to lay their eggs and later Society.103: 119–122. form caterpillars.These caterpillars eat Nithin Ravikanthachari, the leaves and stems of cardamine Balakrishnan.V.C., Pareesh plants and change to pupal stage. Only Viswanath Churi and Kalesh.S. this period they depend this (2018). Larval host plants of the cardamine plant. When it becomes a butterflies of the Western Ghats butterfly they go to their favourite of India. Journal of nectar feeding plants like Cleome Threatened Taxa.10(4):11495- rutidosperma. 11550 5. Acknowledgements Robinson, G.S., P.R. Ackery, I.J. Kitching, G.W. Beccaloni & The authors are extremely thankful L.M. Hernández (2010). to Dr. Devipriya. V., Principal, Sree HOSTS - A Database of the Narayana Guru College, Chelannur for World’s Lepidopteran giving permission to conduct the Hostplants. Natural History study and support. Museum, London. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosts. 6. References Electronic version accessed on Annon (2020). Butterfly of the Month 18 August 2010. July2020. Wynter-Blyth, M.A. (1957). Butterflies https://butterflycircle.blogsp of the Indian region. Oxford- ot.com/2020/07/butterfly-of- Bombay Natural History month-july-2020.html Society, Bombay, 523pp. Hay, A., & Tsiantis, M. (2016). Cardamine hirsuta: a comparative view. Current

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