1High Altitude Zoology Field Station, Zoological Survey of lndia, Saproon, Solan - 173 211, H.P., India.
Department of Bio-sciences, Himachal Pradesh University, Summer Hill, Shimla - 171 005, H.P., India.
A study on the butterflies was carried out in a subtropical deciduous forest (Sukhna and Catchment area) of union territory. Sixty seven species of butterflies belonging to 9 families were collected. Pieridae was the largest among the identified families, 10 species were found very common, 17 common, 19 uncommon and 21 rare. Sub-tropical deciduous forest habitat in the union territory supported the highest number of butterfly species (55), followed by agricultural and wastelands (47). Maximum number of endemic species was in undisturbed forest followed by agricultural and wasteland fields. Further, 13 species were exclusive to agricultural and wastelands, 8 restricted to forest. Members of the family Danaidae such as the blue tiger (Tirumala limniace) and the plain tiger (Dannaus chrysippus) were observed to congregate on Crotolaria plants during flowering season, for nectar feeding, which is a known alkaloid source.
