The larva of Plains Cupid butterfly discharges a sweet substance. Ants suck the substance without damaging the larva which is an example of co-existence in nature, says Deepak Naik, an applied zoology student at Mangalore University.
Mr. Naik has a hobby of documenting butterflies. So far he has documented the life cycle of 30 species of butterflies all found in Puttur taluk of Dakshina Kannada.
He said he picked up the hobby as a student of B.Sc. in Puttur. The student said after collecting the eggs of butterflies he rears them on their host plants. After documenting their life cycle he sets them free. Collection of eggs is only for documentation purposes. He said in Puttur taluk alone 125 species of butterflies had been identified.
Mr. Naik said that Blue Mormon butterfly is a bigger one. Its larva measures seven cm in length.
The researcher said that as surroundings change butterflies change their host plant if required.
When they were flown to a new place, if they did not find the usual host plant they changed the plant.
He displayed his documentation of 22 species at an exhibition of butterflies, insects, and shells organised by the department at University College here recently.
