Captive breeding of butterflies : techniques adopted at regional science centre, Guwahati

0.82 MB·English

by  Jeelani, S.

Ps pagation

Captive Breeding of Butterflies
Trois et Regt Scene Can, Gua

Abstract

For th Fis tne i nia, expenmenssn Captive
2yeeding of bute started wath scientific approach
at National Couneil af Science Museums, Kolkata
INCSM) im the year 1993, Aer four years of
Gonsneous experiment‘, fist captive breading
Foelity ofthe country was established at Science City,
Kolkata and second such eflort was wndertaken
Regional Science Centre, Guvalt, Captive breeding
of butterflies needs well planaed houses, climale
‘onal measures larval food plant aursery ele. Resides
inst techsiques to ear and protect catempillars, pups
and butters, keeping butterfly hoses free fo3
ets, quarantine Methods 10 b> adapted, baterly
sundling echriques ard production managemea, play
srovial vole in ststained breeding. of bullies
Techniques used in breading of buterles. like
Common mormon ‘Princezs pottes), Lime battery
Princeps denotews), Plain ger Dancus (Anosia)
hnsipyns. Common ecow (Euploea core), Pyche
‘Leprsia ina) Common grass yellow fuera
fecabe) were discussed in desl this papor. Role of
buttery gardens in. imparting environmental

ication and ecological conservation programnes of
Soienee Centre wee also discussed.

Introduction
Duveties reo caledAying Powers. People
of all age gues ove tiem alike because of ‘ei
| colours and beauty. There ae many ute ty yk
Seth inopenandcapeveall ove the work These ths
re ran by many Zoos and private bacees, This is
deing one ly) anus to create svatenens baal
teres sung. people and private breeds for
| Scenics purposes. Lage see ‘legel trading of
Suuerfics by means of enchirg dem fom iM
‘aha desction and pollutants ia he aspire
afcting hese eeauresumensls, All round eons
fue being made in various coumiries stop such
"practises by way of making laws and crecting
INerenes smog stents aid general publi, Ti
‘eeantpast,nosueh efforts Wee undertakes i i

—Althousls ere are some studies on tuteries,
"they are mostly dealt with morphology of Euteeles,
- therhabias and behaviout Net maay studies are tere
on breeding. of butters ia the Indian context,
+ specially on captive breeding, Firs seienifi fort as
- sci Indian NCSM in the year 1993 for tte species

63

8. deckané

‘which are notin any schedule of Wil LiteAst 1972 To
begin wit, caterpillars of di-Teom spocies were tewed
in gaffe cups by providing larval Tool plat lev. Ln
the year 1997, 1st butterfly Inune was developed ta
Tweed common species of batter figs sich are nol in
the wiklife sede, iu ender Wo crete siwareness
‘among general people and students at Seienee City
pemines,Itvas a succes and isto appreciated ths
lfor. In 2004, second such effort vas taken Up a
Regional Seiexes Conte, Khanapate, Guwahati with
the experience gained a Scieree City in captive
weeding of buter ies. In 2008, another butte
breeding fucility came

Bannerghara,

in Bargslore Zoo,

Butterfly House and Caterpillar Nursery

AISI 30° Lx 13 W buttery hose was ule
with fonsparent resin Steet an the soot In wecsive
Frain natural sunlight Temperature 28°C-32°C)
‘a tii (8082-90) maatained in he buttery
Fowse, All the docrs ard windows aze fixed ith
sinless steel wire mesh, Mosh size ofthese neis:re2
zm so that no predators con enter inside the house,
Tnlct and exhaust Fans are fite to provide natural at
low insidethe hoo. Huitrfly house and nuesery are
fied with metal halide lights to provid> nea dey okt
conditions. Mud puddles, nocta feeders and Fovery
Flantsalong with natural plans are arrangedinside the
house, Caterpillar and Pupa Nursery is sted wit

1 Buttery Howse ous

efimate control equipment along with esterpillar
‘ring and pupa boxes. Femperature aud huaidity
"rintained inthe mursory sre 28°C 32° and 80%
55% humidity respectively. “ts found trat these
B pagation

ig. 2 Bufly Hause (ie view)
climatic ranges gave best results when the eatepillaes
dregrooingand also durmghatchingo batteries

Climate Control Methods

Both buttrtty house and nursery were
=linsaically controled inorder te provide best uitable
conitions for batteries. Besides this, recreate rel
patural environment ie mado to prevent predators em
"tering into these houses an fo keep them fre fem
polluants. This helped in keeping suitable
Bnvironment jerespeetive of changing weather
nitions musics these houses. This was done with the
help of the-mostae ited heaters with blowers t kes
lemperatues in eontal during winter months, These
houses ee ulso oquipped with air conditioners along
‘ith she clothes on top ofthe burterfly and cate ila
vousesto keep the temoetaturssatrequ red evel doit
summer months of the year. Humiiy is evatalled
csanually by spraying wa ein smut it winery
seeping mild hot water, These measures helped in
creating msl Finourle conitins to the batteries
Ioughouttlie year.

Butterfly Breeding and Rearing
Techniques

ute-flies chosen forcaptivereedingane
|. Commonmarmon (Prineaps polytes)
Lime buerly(Prineeps cemoleus)

5. Plain tiger Danaus (Arosa) chrysippas)
{ Commroneros(Euploea core)

5. Payche(Leptosianina)

6, Common grasyellw (Furenshecabe)

"Common Craw Lime buttery

Plain Tae?

ii it. °

Se

-

Fig. tefl chosea for bree a RSC, Gv

‘Common mermon

eS

[ancans pores)

Techniques Adopted in Breeding
Butterflies

These are all common species, ea to rear ne
theirhost plants are easily avatable i nurseries. Male
snd female speces of above tutetlies were released
inside the hous, Host plans lke eis species for
common mormon and. Time birferfies,eappasis
species for syche butterfly cassia species loreonrnan
grass yellow, calotopis sseces for plain tiger and fies
ind nevium species o> common crow brterflios Were
keptin the butlertly house tallow the uteties olay
ges

Host plcnts with eggs were sified from 1
bouncy house to nurseries where eaterpilans hatched
alter 56 days depending on the species, Or
calerillarsstercd feeding these aves, dealin ed ast
plants were replaced with new host plants vith full
Tolage so that caterpillar get sufficient fod
‘hyoughout cher growth pering til they become pupa,
Just before the caterpillars reached pupa sage, these
host plans sors shied 10 wooden ages so that
eaterpilas do nat rsa all over the room, Once the
caterpillars tansfonned in pupa they were removed
settly fiom these boxes and pled in pupa bores
‘where they were allowed to develep ino outterlies
anc hatch, This entire process of metumorphiosis ic
hatching om egg to fmition of ara takes about 2
‘weeks Buti varies fom speciestospecies,
P- pagation 65

‘doa of Sicnse Communietion

Handlieg tahwiques for band speciss lke
ceenmon mormen, lime, pain tigersndl corsmon crow
(trong species) are diferent from serall and delicate
species like psyche, common grass yellow. Species
Tike cooninon mormon lini plan igs, blus igs and
cannon crow are sfatvely Inge in size, Lacy ate
Iiwly i hei boul and ey Wo fae were ss
species like common yrs ello and psyche are
Sill ia sige ad very elicit, Url spe
‘clerpillar em be collected with our ans and ean he
reared cacppillar bases. Caterpilar oxes sre
surfed wih host plant leaves so that caterpillars get
‘theirbed throughout their development.

Delicate species Hive goztnon grass yellow and
payehe should not be handled as fie as practicable,
They were allowed to grow snd pupste on ther hes
plants. Finally, when thoy were about to Fateh, they
twee covered with @ mosquito ne: Bulelies were
allowed atch on theirost plats and released in he
exibition area by removing the net from the hest
Phin. This has become possible only because host
Plants of those butters are relstively small and easy
{ohandl. Picking of eaterpilars ans pupae may ease
injury to them. Another met ‘in failing
prinae of these nserfliss was, cutting the

thers with fhe
Dithiculty with,
ingbutesles fom these
hones to exhibition ares there isa chance of weting
damaged ducto aad handling. Pupae of common evs,
plaintiger,common monnon anc Fine bles ies were
collected gently rom the host plans snd ep inte
pupa boxes. These boxes are equipped with ttermocol
Strips with holes and eracedile els, in which pupae
wore placed for hatching. Nowly hatched butters
were allowed in thei: pupa boxes tll they dy hei
hoy and singe and blood is pumps in the wings
nel them when they ao wet may lead to rippling
fof their wings ene bod: Prom pupa te batching oF
butters takes about 6-7 days. This again cependson
thesizeafthebutelcs,

help fees clipe in yup Pox
thismetvod is, while ean

Role of Butterfly Gardens in
Environmental Education and
Ecological Conservation Programmes

A live buttery garden in the Science Centre
helps in many ways. in inupering. environmental
ccdication, With Sich facilis, we en conduc: the
following eves inthe

a) Explain he entire whieh
isalso an rsect and represents largest arial

Fig 5. Neer plans
Pe spa gation

Adoural of SrenesConnmanicoe.

o

»

up une the Phylum Ariheopoda,
‘Suttetes are kee by al age groups an they.
help im attracting vistors fo the scion

Varicus modicstions uaderaken by
these siall creates 10 alain the form of
buttery, eg. caps, differant stages of
‘alerpillar, moulting peneess, pupation and
hatching into buerfly ean be showr to the
Visitors. Also to 2xplsin habits requ red for
these creates to the students ant general

Batterfies ae biological indicates of nature.
‘Therpresenceimanarea ind eas the prsence
oftheir hostand recar plans end also that the
Sunouniding eny-romment is cleaa and free
‘tom pollrans. We ean ereate awareness
arsang Sexdnls fromthe young.

Regional Seicuve Cen, Govahati wilizd
‘ie buttsfly house in ersating awareness
lamong students to rear caterpillars tl they
become buterflies and release thery in their
suitable habitats, With these ecvities many
students. started joining hobby camps
‘comluctodby this,

Most impertemly, role of butterties in
agriculture by way ef polation in pls and
in food chain cia be explained to

We can create awarensss emtong_ people
regarding eed for conservation of these
‘creatures and their habitats in order ta save
thom from reachirg encangeredlist

We can also explain various biological somrct
measures. Different speries of caterpillars
feeding on larval food plants, thereby
ccontoling the gesth oF these pants. Tn the
praeess slop with larval food plant leaves,
they are desnoying other inset eggs like
aphidogasete

References

1) Bingkam C-1- Fauna of Brits Indie
Buerflics. Vol Fara IL (G), (1905 1907)

2) Bell ER, The common butterfis ofthe plans
find. J Zomay Nat Hist Soc. Nol [9-31
000 pp. 1909 1927

2) Larson TB. The burteriss of the Nilgiti
mounisins of Souther» Tilia {Lepidoptera
Rhopslocera) J onda Ne Hist. Soe. 85.
(1):2643, 1988

4) Mathew. Studies on che Lepidosteran fauna,
ological stuies and Tong term monitoring
of biological processes in the silent Valley
VNatioual Park, Report submited 10. tne
Ministry of Fnvisonment, Cost. of Indu,
KKerale Forest Research Tasctute, pp. 239
190

5) Moons Haribal: The butterflies of Sikkim
Himalaya and their natural history published
by Sikkim Natre Foundation, Gangtos
Sikkim (1982)

©) Mathew, Gand Rehamsthulls, VK, Studies
‘on the butesles ofthe Set Villy National
Park, Ketala, Inia, Ertomoa, S8(34) 185
192, 1993

71 Goan, H. Buteflies ofthe Western Ghats,
India, including Sri Lankt A. hiodiversity
assessment of 1 ticatened monntain system
p.51, 1996

8} National Council of Science Museum's

‘Anal Report (1997-1998)

br. Jela, Project Cavrdinator, Regional Scince Certe, NCSM, Guat