Melanitis leda

Abstract: Changes in wing pattern, colour, shape and size associated with seasonal polyphenism in Melanitis leda were quantified using a series of 155 butterflies collected by N. Manders on Mauritius in 1905. Butterflies of the wetter period were predominantly of the wet season form with large, well differentiated eyespots, short tails, smaller wings and a characteristic background colour. The dry season form occurred only in the drier period and has much smaller eyespots, longer tails, larger wings and a variable background. Many intermediates occurred, mainly in the drier period. These are associated with an absence of extreme seasonal change in Mauritius. The first principal component (PCI) describing the morphometric and colour data is closely related to the wing form (r = 0.80). Regression analyses using temperature and rainfall data for the 8 weeks before each capture showed that about 40% of variation in PCI could be accounted for by temperature in weeks 2–3 before capture. Many of the characters measured are redundant; a subset of seven morphometric characters yields a closely similar PCI. Analysis of is subset in an additional sample of 70 M. leda from Kenya showed that the seasonal polyphenism overrides a small degree of sexual dimorphism. The results are discussed with regard to seasonal changes in adult activity, resting backgrounds and visual predation. Wing phenotype characters are part of an array of coordinated morphological and life history traits which include ovarian dormancy and fat body development in dry season adults. A partial independence occurs in the proximal control of these traits as indicated, for example, by the larger wing and tail size, and smaller eyespots of the small number of the wet season form captured in the drier period in comparison to those of the wetter months.

Abstract: The complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Melanitis leda (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) is a circular molecule of 15,122 bp in length, containing 37 typical animal mitochondrial genes and 1 control region, known in insects as the AT-rich region. Its gene content and order are identical to all other available butterfly mitogenomes. All protein-coding genes (PCGs) start with a typical ATN initiation codon, except for COI, which is initiated by the CGA codon as observed in other butterfly species. A total of 97 bp of intergenic spacers are interspersed in 11 regions, ranging in size from 1 to 45 bp. The 314-bp-long AT-rich region is the smallest of all the butterfly corresponding regions available and contains some conserved structures similar to those found in other butterfly mitogenomes, including the motif ATAGA followed by a 19-bp poly-T stretch and a microsatellite-like (AT)6 element preceded by the ATTTA motif.

Abstract: As in most animals, male butterflies are generally the more proactive sex with respect to seeking out mating opportunities. In most cases, males conduct their search sometime between mid-morning and mid-afternoon, but a few species are active only before dawn or after sunset. These crepuscular species offer a good opportunity to study how males deal with markedly different visual and thermal conditions. Here, I present data from a 5-month behavioural study of male Melanitis leda (Nymphalidae) at a mate-encounter site in tropical Australia. Males of this species defended perching locations along a forest edge in a similar manner to other diurnally active territorial nymphalids. They generally arrived at these sites after sunset and arrived earlier on evenings that darkened earlier. Actively mate-locating males were only seen at the site during a 25−35 min evening period, during which ambient light levels ranged between 50 and 2600 lux. Only 27% of marked territory residents were recorded again at their location of capture, but fidelity in this ‘resighted’ group ranged up to 23 days. A sample of males, captured under ambient temperatures of 24.0−27.2°C, maintained a mean thoracic excess of 8.25 ± 0.73°C, but did not appear to ‘shiver’ in the manner of other crepuscular species. Males courted conspecific females and one mating was observed. This species is an excellent candidate for further research into the evolution of mating tactics in crepuscular butterflies.

Abstract: The present study was carried out in Maruthamalai Hills of Southern Western Ghats during September 2012- February 2013, to study the role of butterflies as pollinators and floral attributes which influence nectar feeding butterflies. During the study period, 27 species of butterflies were collected as flower visitors on 36 species of flowering plants. Among the life habits, the herbs are the dominant species (19), followed by shrubs (7), trees (6) and under-shrubs (4). Out of 27 butterfly species, 12 species belong to the family Nymphalidae, 7 species belong to the family Pieridae, 5 species belong to the family Lycaenidae and 3 species belong to the family Papilionidae. The following butterfly species, Junonia orithiya L. Melanitis leda L. and Acytolepis puspa Hors. shows mud-puddling behaviour. A very little information is available on butterfly species and their nectar host plant relationships. The present study is an essential factor for pollination process and provides preliminary information on the relationship between plants and butterflies. It is suggested that an adequate care should be taken to conserve both flora and fauna for the sustainable utilization of our bioresources.