2017 Vol.23 No.2 PP 383-390

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT OF FINAL INSTARS LARVAE OF DANAUS CHRYSIPPUS AND JUNONIA IPHITA (LEPIDOPTERA: NYMPHALIDAE) AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

AMAR PAUL SINGH, SHAGUN MAHAJAN AND RITWIK MONDAL^*

Department of Zoology,
Alpine Institute of Management and Technology,
DEHRADUN-248007
*Corresponding Author : Email : ritwik.uk12@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

The present study focused on developing the scenario of the room temperature effect on the development of two distinct butterfly species, Danaus chrysippus and Junonia iphita . Temperature required for development of final instar larvae of D . chrysippus (25.9°C) was much higher than J. iphita (19.09°C); whereas in contrast to that in prepupation stages J. iphita (8.21°C) acquired at much higher temperature than D . chrysippus (7.93°C). In case of chrysalis stages D . chrysippus required much higher temperature in comparison to J. iphita (26.8°C). In the study the pupation stages is merged with the chrysalis stage. The completion of chrysalis stages was much lower in D . chrysippus (average 03 days) than J. iphita (average 6.25 days). The present study furnished that development rate was greatly accelerated with thermal threshold roaming around room temperature. However in D . chrysippus thermal threshold scenario stands static as in the present study all the specimens were reported dead in the cocoon stages providing a keynote information about the temperature manipulation on two distinct species which can be utilized as grass root level for successful conservation management.

Key words : Danaus chrysippus , Junonia iphita , Temperature.