Larval Host Plant
Other notes
Natural History: Naturalized Perennial Herb.
It is a perennial creeping herb native to tropical America. Leaves are trifoliate, and whitish-pink flowers arise in clusters. The name refers to scorpion-like fruits (Flowers of India, 2024).
Notes: This plant was previously reported as larval host plant Zizina otis – Lesser Grass Blue from Taiwan (Robinson et al., 2023), Mangal Rane confirmed its use in India from Ratnagiri, Maharashtra in March 2024.
References:
Flowers of India (2024): Scorpion Tick Trefoil. Accessed on 05 Apr 2024. URL: https://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Scorpion%20Tick%20Trefoil.html.
Robinson, G.S., P.R. Ackery, I. Kitching, G.W. Beccaloni, and L.M. Hernández. (2023). HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5519/havt50xw
WFO (2024): Desmodium scorpiurus (Sw.) Poir. Accessed on 05 Apr 2024. URL: http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000177430
Page citation
Rane, M. and N. Kawthankar. 2024. Desmodium scorpiurus (Sw.) Poir. – Scorpion Tick Trefoil. In Kunte, K., S. Sondhi, and P. Roy (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 4.12. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/desmodium-scorpiurus, accessed 2024/04/30.