A study on the association between Tridax Daisy Tridax procumbens L. and butterflies at Shivaji University Campus, Maharashtra, India

The objective of the present study was to study butterfly-Tridax procumbens interaction and test whether there is any correlation between lengths of corolla tube of the flowers and butterfly proboscis. Most butterflies visit flowers to obtain nectar. A common weed T. procumbens is an invasive species and a nectar plant for many butterflies. At Shivaji University campus, we documented a total of 42 species of butterflies belonging to three families (Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae, and Pieridae) of superfamily Papilionoidea visiting flowers of T. procumbens for nectar from December 2022 to November 2023. Among these, lycaenids were the most speciose with a total of 21 species, followed by the family Nymphalidae with 12 species, and the family Pieridae with nine species. Although the corolla length of T. procumbens flower is considered short, butterflies with both short (Lycaenidae and Pieridae) and long (Nymphalidae) proboscises were observed visiting these flowers for nectar. Seasonal studies carried out here showed that the highest number of butterfly species was recorded during monsoon season, mainly in June, than during other seasons. Among all species recorded, Eurema laeta was recorded at the highest temperature 35.8°C with 37% humidity. In the present communication photographs of all 42 butterfly species visiting T. procumbens flowers are provided.