Senegalia catechu – Khair, Black Cutch Tree

Larval Host Plant

Azanus jesous – African Babul Blue
Azanus ubaldus – Bright Babul Blue
Azanus uranus – Dull Babul Blue
Prosotas dubiosa – Tailless Lineblue
Prosotas nora – Common Lineblue
Charaxes agrarius – Anomalous Nawab
Charaxes bharata – Indian Nawab

Nectar Plant

Burara jaina – Common Orange Awlet
Coladenia indrani – Tricolour Pied Flat
Amblypodia anita – Purple Leaf Blue
Cigaritis ictis – Common Shot Silverline
Surendra quercetorum – Common Acacia Blue
Rapala varuna – Indigo Flash
Parantica aglea – Glassy Tiger

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Other notes

Other Name Combinations: Acacia catechu (WFO, 2023).

 

Natural History: These plants possesses extrafloral nectaries which attract many butterflies.

 

Notes: This plant has been recorded as a new larval host for Azanus ubaldus – Bright Babul Blue, Azanus jesous – African Babul Blue and Prosotas dubiosa – Tailless Lineblue by Milind Bhakare from Satara, Maharashtra in 2011, 2012 and 2014, and for Charaxes agrarius – Anomalous Nawab by Paresh Churi from Ratnagiri, Maharashtra in 2016.
Egg laying of Spindasis ictis – Common Shot Silverline was recorded on this plant by Abhay Soman from Ratnagiri, Maharashtra in May 2016, but the complete life cycle is yet to be recorded to confirm this as its larval host.

 

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 (2023): World Flora Online. Accessed on 06 Jan 2023. URL: http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0001284769.

Flowers of India (2023). Accessed on 06 Jan 2023. URL: http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Black%20Cutch%20Tree.html.

Page citation

Bhakare, M., P. Churi, A. Soman and N. Kawthankar 2024. Senegalia catechu (L.f.) P.J.H.Hurter & Mabb. – Khair, Black Cutch Tree. 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/senegalia-catechu, accessed 2024/04/23.