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Gujarat is a state in the western part of India. It has very rich butterfly diversity as it is situated at the geographical meeting point of many different types of habitats.
Northern Gujarat meets the deserts and semi-arid parts of Pakistan, Saurashtra peninsula has dry scrublands and savannah habitats, Gir has dry deciduous forests, central Gujarat has wetlands and scrublands while south Gujarat touches the Western Ghats and hence it has evergreen and bamboo forests.
Gujarat has total six families of butterflies:
Contents
- Papilionidae Swallowtails
- Pieridae Whites and Yellows Tips and Arabs
- Nymphalidae Brush footed Butterflies
- Lycaenidae Blues Sunbeams and Silverlines
- References
Papilionidae (Swallowtails)
It is found mostly around human habitations because of availability of host plants such as commercially grown annona squamosa (Gujarati:સીતાફળ) and also polyalthia longifolia (Gujarati:આસોપાલવ) which is a common tree along the sides of streets. It is more common during and after monsoon.
It is found mostly in south Gujarat. However, it is found in other parts of Gujarat in scattered island-populations.
It is a seasonally occurring species which is active oddly during the hottest months of the year. It Mostly keeps to dry deciduous forests. Large gatherings of them can be seen in some dry forests along the northern part Gujarat as well as in the forests of south Gujarat in summer.
It is a very common species in Gujarat being a frequent garden visitor. It is sometimes seen as a pest in citrus plantations. It is found in almost all parts of Gujarat because of wide cultivation of its host plant.
The range of this species in Gujarat is restricted to parts of south Gujarat only. It also holds the record of the largest butterfly of Gujarat.
It is commonly found all over Gujarat except very dry arid areas. It is a common garden species and shows slight seasonal behavior of varying degrees.
It can be encountered leisurely flying through most parts of Gujarat. However, mostly it is much less common than its mimic Common Mormon. It is more common in monsoon and post-monsoon seasons.
Pieridae (Whites and Yellows, Tips and Arabs)
It is a very common species in almost all habitats. It is one of the most common butterflies of Gujarat and a common backyard visitor. They inhibit even the loudest and busiest parts of cities because of the availability of their host plants such as Siamese Cassia and Golden Shower Tree, which are commonly grown along the roads.
It is found in more or less the same ranges as Lemon Emigrants but it tends to inhibit a bit drier regions than Lemon Emigrant. It is also one of the most common species of Gujarat.
It is a common species in all parts of Gujarat except deserts. It is a common garden species and becomes very common in later half of monsoon.
Pioneer is a common species that inhibits all parts of Gujarat in varying degrees. It is one of the few species that is very hardy in harsh dry habitats and hence it can be found in semi-arid to arid areas, too. Local migratory or seasonal behavior in Pioneers is tentatively recorded.
It is not rare in south Gujarat. However, it becomes more and more scarce moving northwards and absent in the more drier as well as semi-arid regions.
It is common in south Gujarat and the forest areas. It can be locally common in other parts of Gujarat as well. It avoids very dry regions or open grassland/scrubland areas where its host plants are scarce.
It occurs all over Gujarat wherever its host plants salvadora persica (Gujarati:પિલૂ/પિલૂડી) or salvadora oleoides are found.
Crimson-tip is locally common species in scrublands, sparse deciduous forests and also semi arid areas. This species is found all over Gujarat with the exception of extremely dry desert regions.
It is common in all parts of Gujarat and can be encountered in the drier regions, too. It can be encountered wherever its host plants (Capers Family) are found.
It inhibits scrublands and deciduous forests. Its status of abundance can vary locally although the range more or less coincides with Small Salmon Arab.
It is one of the few species that prefers dry semi-arid to arid areas. It is mostly found in Kutch and northern parts of Gujarat.
It's local status can be common to absent depending on the availability of its host plants of genus Salvadoraceae.
It is a common species throughout Gujarat except very arid regions. However, it can be absent or rare in some parts of Gujarat.
It is a locally present species in Gujarat. It is observed less commonly in Gujarat compared to White Orange-tip.
Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
It is found in disturbed dry scrub lands and clearings of rocky deciduous habitats. It can be common wherever its host plant Castor plant is cultivated.
Common Castor is a widespread butterfly in Gujarat and it is usually found around its host plant Castor plants (Gujarati:એરન્ડો) which are commonly grown throughout Gujarat.
It's predominately a grassland and scrubland species. It prefers very open and dry/semi-dry areas and can be found mostly away from human habitations. It is not rare in Kutch and inland Saurashtra but it is hard to come by in more greener and wooded areas.
It's found around the forests of south Gujarat. Its status in rest of the Gujarat varies from rare to absent.
It's found around the forests of south Gujarat and also in parts of Aravalli Range in north and north-east Gujarat. It is rare to absent in rest of the Gujarat.
It inhibits high rainfall receiving forests of south Gujarat and it is absent from rest of the Gujarat.
Black Rajah's occurrence is very much local. It inhibits forest clearings, fruit orchards and some other more or less wooded habitats elsewhere.
Plain tiger is very commonly seen throughout Gujarat. It is a really common species in all parts of the state because of massive availability of its host plant Calotropis (Gujarati:આંકડો) which is a common weed all over Gujarat.
It prefers more vegetated areas than Plain tiger and hence it is commonly found in lightly wooded areas, forests and some other areas here and there
It's predominately migrating and seasonally occurring species. However, it can be found all year round in some parts. It commonly inhibits areas wherever its host plants are found such as Oleander (Gujarati:કરેણ), Sacred fig (Gujarati:પીપળો) and Banyan Tree (Gujarati:વડ)
It inhibits more wooded areas than Common Crow and predominately found in south Gujarat.
Blue Tiger is a migrating species like Common Crow found in most parts of Gujarat except very dry and open areas. Its local status can vary from common to rare depending on vegetation and area.
Tawny Coster is a common species and occurs wherever its host plants of Passionflower (Gujarati:કૃષ્ણકમળ/કૌરવ-પાંડવ વેલ) family are found. It is usually very common in the vicinity of host plants.
It mostly inhibits dry deciduous forests, however it is also found in small numbers in scrublands and around human habitations.
Baron can be common to absent depending on area and availability of host plant Mango Tree (Gujarati:આંબો). Baron mainly occurs around human habitations and fruit orchards where there's plenty of mango plantations and other vegetation.
Baronet is found more or less in southern half of Gujarat, also found in dry deciduous forests of Gir and in some small populations elsewhere. It prefers areas that are relatively a bit distant from human habitations.
It's more of a hilly and rainy region butterfly. It can be encountered in south Gujarat.
Great Eggfly is a common species found all over Gujarat with the exception of very arid regions. It is much more common during and right after monsoon.
Danaid Eggfly is commonly found throughout Gujarat in varying degrees. However, it is common wherever it is present and becomes even more common during and after monsoon.
It's a widespread species in Gujarat. Although it mainly resides dry scrublands, it can be found everywhere from high rainfall areas to semi-arid areas in varying abundance. It becomes more abundant in post monsoon time.
It's found in wooded areas of southern Gujarat. It is mostly absent in drier regions.
Yellow Pansy can be found everywhere from open dry areas to greener parts of south Gujarat. However, it is much more common in dry scrublands of Saurashtra and central Gujarat.
In Gujarat, it is found predominately in wooded southern parts where vegetation is abundance. It is usually very rare or absent in drier regions.
It's a found in dry as well as high rainfall areas in different abundance. It is an inhabitant of mainly dry scrublands and avoids dense green forests.
Blue Pansy is widespread species all over Gujarat. It is a common species in dry scrublands and lightly vegetated grasslands.
Painted lady, being one of the most widespread species all around the world, is found in almost all parts of Gujarat. It usually occurs away from human habitations mainly in open scrublands, grasslands and in lightly wooded areas as well.
This butterfly inhibits whole Gujarat except deserts. In spite of being common everywhere, it is encountered less because of its crepuscular behavior. It is especially abundant right after monsoon because of abundance of its host plants which are mostly different kinds of grass. It is one of the few butterflies that are somewhat attracted to light, and hence can also be found near a bright light source in the night such as floodlights.