Morphological insights: anatomical variations among three butterfly families (pieridae, nymphalidae, and papilionidae) from nemaligundla–a.p.-india

S.Veronika K; Hari Krishna V; P.Venkata Ramana S

doi:10.37022/jis.v8i1.123

K.S.Veronika Research Scholar, Department of Zoology, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa
Hari Krishna Project Fellow (RUSA), Department of Zoology, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa
S.P.Venkata Ramana Associate Professor, Department of Zoology, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, India

DOI https://doi.org/10.37022/jis.v8i1.123

Abstract

With an emphasis on morphological variations that have developed in response to environmental stresses, feeding patterns, and ecological niches, this study investigates the anatomical divergence seen among the several butterfly families Pieridae, Nymphalidae, and Papilionidaein the area Nemaligundla, a dense black forest area in the Giddaluru Zone of the Prakasam District. We examined the head, antennae, proboscis, and wing measurements of a few butterfly families using a comparative method. Our research shows how structural modifications let butterflies survive and diversify in a variety of environments. Incontrast to other butterfly families, the Papilionidae family has distinctive physical characteristics, most notably the greatest average head size (0.60), which may indicate special adaptations or behaviours. The Papilionidae has the greatest average for sensory adaptations (1.58), however their antennae mean values are also in close agreement with those of other families. A notable observation is that the Papilionidae have the longest proboscis (2.68),compared to the shorter averages of the Pieridae (1.7) and Nymphalidae (2.11), suggesting specialization for accessing a variety of floral resources; additionally, the family has the largest average widths for both forewings (5.2) and hindwings (3.1), which may improve mobility, flight, or visual displays during mating; these morphological traits demonstrate the evolutionary adaptations of the Papilionidae family in response to ecological niches.

Keywords: Butterflies, Anatomical divergence, Morphology, Evolutionary adaptation, Comparative anatomy

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