Record of New Larval Host Plant for Acraea terpsicore (Tawny coster)

Abstract

Acraea terpiscore L. is commonly known as the Tawny Coster butterfly, it belongs to the Nymphalidae or Brush-footed butterfly family. Its common larval hosts depend on the availability of Turnera subulata. The study has been carried from January to July 2015 in Thammampatti, Salem district in Tamilnadu. A. terpiscore larvae were found in Turnera subulata and Passiflora foetida. From this observation it is evident that host preference is prevalently exhibited in larval feeding of Tawny Coster. On the availability of T. subulata the choice of P. foetida is found meagre. The caterpillars were counted once a week in both the populations during an observation period of six months. T. subulata and P. foetida plants respectively envisaging its host preference of T. subulata over P. foetida. It is reported here for the first time as a new larval host of Tawny Coster.

Lama Hidup, Kelulusan Hidup, dan Perilaku Makan Larva Acraea Terpsicore L. (Lepidoptera : Nymphalidae) Pada Tanaman Inang Piriqueta Racemosa Jacq

“…Larva yang dipelihara pada tanaman inang berbeda-beda memiliki lama hidup yang berbeda. Kupu-kupu D. bisaltide dapat menyelesaikan siklus hidupnya lebih singkat pada tanaman inang Graptophyllum pictum dan akan lebih lama pada tanaman inang Asystasia gangetica [9].…”

Larval performance and adult phenotypic variation of Acraea terpsicore (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) on congeneric Passiflora host plants

“…This butterfly was originally distributed in the Indian subcontinent but then spread to Southeast Asia and reached Australia in a few decades (Braby et al 2014b). Due to its wide distribution, various studies have been carried out, and reports have been written about the host plants of this butterfly (Khot and Gaikwad 2011, Ek-Amnuay 2012, Tan and Khew 2012, Braby et al 2014a, Lade et al 2015, Gideon 2016, Kumar et al 2016, London Natural History Museum 2019). Nevertheless, plants in the family Passifloraceae, especially the genus Passiflora , are still its main host plant.…”