Diversity and Ethological Study of Butterfly Species Found in Sree Chaitanya College Campus, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal

Abstract

Butterflies are an extremely important group of colorful insects belonging to Phylum – Arthropoda, under Class- Insecta and order- Lepidoptera. They are highly sensitive to environmental change and sometimes considered bio-indicators of climate and are potential pollinators. This work was aimed at studying the diversity and common behavioral aspects of butterflies. The study was conducted in Habra and around Sree Chaitanya College from February to September 2022. A total of 35 different species under 25 genera belonging to five families were reported. The maximum number of species belonged to the family Nymphalidae. The ethological aspects of some butterflies were studied in detail. Six butterfly species belonging to three families were studied. The butterfly species studied were the tawny coster, plain tiger, common jezebel, common palm fly, common silverline. A specific behavioural pattern like hovering, basking, resting, flight and nectarine was documented. Observation revealed that plain tiger, tawny coster, common silverline spent most of the time resting. The preference of the butterfly species for nectar-collecting plants was also studied. It was observed that, despite having a number of flowering and non-flowering plants in the area, each butterfly species has a specific preference for their nectar plants.