Mukherjee S., Banerjee S., Dasgupta A., Ghosh M., Aditya G. 2023. Density dependent variation in the life history traits of mottled emigrant butterfly, Catopsilia pyranthe (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) // Russian Entomol. J. Vol.32. No.1: 76–82 [in English].
Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Ballygunge Circular Road 35, Kolkata 700019, India. E-mails: swarnali.mukherjee09@gmail.com , 03banerjee.sampa@gmail.com , dasgupta.ayan337@gmail.com , medha.ghosh1993.mg@gmail.com , gautamaditya2001@gmail.com
doi: 10.15298/rusentj.32.1.09
ABSTRACT. An assessment of the density dependent effect on selected life history traits of the mottled emigrant butterfly, Catopsilia pyranthe (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) was accomplished in the laboratory. The rearing of the instar I larvae to adult was split into four density levels of 1, 2, 3 and 4 larvae per rearing containers with the fixed amount of Cassia sophera L leaves daily. The effects of density and sex were prominent in different life history traits. The age at pupation was delayed and the pupal weight, adult weight, the wing length and the wing breadth revealed a declining trend with reference to the density and besides, females were larger than the males in terms of size. The negative values indicated density impact on life history traits. However, further studies are required to substantiate the interactions between food and density on the life history traits to establish the interactions between food and density in shaping the body size of the butterfly C. pyranthe.
KEY WORDS: intraspecific competition, larval developmental time, life history traits, survivorship.