BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES B. Siddaramaiah Retd. Professor of Zoology.

BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES

B. Siddaramaiah

Retd. Professor of Zoology

On a day with dappled light,In a world of greed and strife,With a message clear and bright,God’s angels come to life.

Full of grace and Nature’s sheen,Sipping nectar, as they plyOn wings of red, blue and green,Happiness is a Butterfly!

Systematic Position

Phylum – ArthropodaClass – Insecta Order – Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)Time of Origin – 130 million years ago during cretaceous

World lepidopteras 174250 species included under 26 families

Butterflies in Indian region – 1500 species and moths 10000 speciesButterflies of peninsular India – 335 species – 34 species are endemic

Some families of butterflies

• Danaidae (Milkweed butterflies) • Papilionidae (Swallow tail butterflies)• Pieridae (Whites and Yellow butterflies)• Satyridae (Brown butterfiles) • Nymphalidae (Brush footed butterflies) • Lycaenidae (Blue butterflies) • Hesperiidae (Skipper Butterflies)

Lime Butterfly

Common Crow

Common Crow

Common Leopard

Plain Tiger

Peacock pansy

Blue Bottle

Blue Bottle

Common Mime

Great Orange Tip

Wanderor

Emigrant

Crimson Rose

Kallima (Dead Leaf butterfly)

Kallima (Dead Leaf butterfly)

Admiral

Skipper

Common Mormon

Commander

Blue Pancy

Lemon Pancy

Common Grass yellow

Common Jezebel

Common Pierot

Dark Blue Tiger

Yellow Pancy

Great Egg Fly-Male

Great Egg Fly-Female

Danaid Egg Fly-Male

Danaid Egg Fly-Female

Angled Castor

Common Sailor

Blue Mormon

Common Banded Peacock

Blue Commander

Skipper

Red Pierot

Striped Tiger

Tawny Coster

Tailed Jay

Bush Brown

Malabar Tree nymph

Common Map

Grass Jewel

Indian Sunbeam

Indian Cabbage White

Tamil Lace Wing

Tamil Lace Wing

Southern Bird Wing

Great Crimson Tip

Giant Red Eye

Mud Puddling

Queen Alexandra’s bird wing-New Guinea(Wing Span 25-28cms)

Micro Psyche of North America(Wing Span 5-7mm)

Monarch Butterflies migrate from Canada to Mexico covering a distance of 3200 kms