Survey on host plants and host plant preference by lemon butterfly Papilio demoleus Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae)

Abstract

Studies on host preference indicated significant differences in egg laying among different hosts by lemon butterfly Papilio demoleus (Linnaeus) was observed. Maximum number of eggs was laid on Lemon: Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck (11.03 eggs), followed by Mandarin: Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck (10.18), Lime: Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle (9.34), Curry leaf: Murraya koenigii (L.) Sprengel (8.49), Beal: Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa (7.64), while minimum number of eggs was recorded on Ber: Zizyphus mauritiana Lam. (6.49). This showed that there were significant differences among the citrus species for egg laying. Lemon: Citrus limon (11.03) was the most preferred host plant for egg laying by adult of lemon butterfly. The results of survey on host plants revealed that all the plants such as lemon, lime, mandarin, beal, curry leaf, ber and babchi supported the larvae of lemon butterfly from 46th to 7th Standard Meteorological Week while maximum larvae were recorded at 49th and 50th SMW. Hence, these plants can be considered as the host plants of lemon butterfly.