Relationships between butterfly with feed plants in Sangihe Islands, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

Background and Objective: Interaction of butterfly with plants is a form of mutualism. Plants need help in pollination and at the same time, butterflies need food in the form of nectar and pollen. This research aimed to observe and analyze relationships between butterflies with feed plants in Sangihe Islands, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Materials and Methods: Observations were conducted from April-August, 2019 by observing the preference of butterflies for flowering plants, the proboscis length of butterflies, the length of corolla tubes, the volume and sugar content of nectar and environmental factors. Data analysis included the relationship between the proboscis length of butterflies and the length of corolla tubes and the relationship of nectar volume and sugar level of nectar with environmental factors. Results: The results showed that there were 23 families and 52 species of plants visited by butterflies. The plants were visited by butterflies of 5 families, which included 43 species and 179 individuals. The number of butterflies visiting flowering plants varied. Based on the time of visit, the highest frequency of butterfly visits to flowering plants was obtained in the morning. Then, the frequency began to decline during the day. Meanwhile, the highest volume and sugar content of nectar were found in the morning and tended to decrease during the day. Conclusion: Relationships of butterflies with flowering plants was influenced by plant habitus, types of inflorescence, flower color, shape of corolla tube, volume and sugar content of nectar.