Larval Host Plant

Celaenorrhinus leucocera – Common Spotted Flat
Sarangesa dasahara – Common Small Flat
Junonia lemonias – Lemon Pansy
Kallima horsfieldii – Sahyadri Blue Oakleaf

Other notes

Natural History: A spiny erect sub-shrub found in Western Ghats and tropical Himalayas (Flowers of India, 2022). Lower leaves are lanceolate whereas upper leaves are smaller with spiny tips. Small white flowers appear on prickly spikes (WFO, 2022).

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-0001033280.

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

Page citation

Churi, P. and N. Kawthankar. 2024. Lepidagathis cuspidata Nees – Pointed-Leaf 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-cuspidata, accessed 2024/10/04.