Lepidagathis keralensis – Kerala Lepidagathis

Other notes

Natural History: A perennial prostrate herb endemic to southern Western Ghats. Small beautiful pink flowers borne on prickly spikes from December to April (Flowers of India, 2022).

 

Note: Sarangesa purendra – Spotted Small Flat was recorded laying eggs on this plant by Firos A. K. from Kannur, Kerala in 2017, but the complete life cycle is yet to be recorded to confirm this plant as a new larval host for the butterfly.

 

References:

Nitin, R., V. C. Balakrishnan, P. V. Churi, S. Kalesh, S. Prakash, and K. Kunte. 2018. Larval host plants of the butterflies of the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 10:11495–11550. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3104.10.4.11495-11550.

WFO (2022): World Flora Online. Accessed on 20 Dec 2022. URL: http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000361179.

Flowers of India (2022). Accessed on 20 Dec 2022. URL: https://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Kerala%20Lepidagathis.html.

Page citation

Firos, A. K. and N. Kawthankar. 2024. Lepidagathis keralensis Madhus. & N.P.Singh – Kerala Lepidagathis. 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/lepidagathis-keralensis, accessed 2024/03/28.