Borbo Cinnara - Rice Swift Butterfly - Animal India

Borbo cinnara, commonly known as the rice swift, Formosan swift or rice leaf folder, is a butterfly belonging to the family Hesperiidae (Skippers butterfly). It is found in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, and Australia. Borbo cinnara eggs are usually laid on the underside of host plant leaves. The caterpillars of the Borbo cinnara feed on plants from the POACEAE family, including rice and itch grass. Caterpillars look for signs of feeding, such as chewed leaves or frass, on host plants. Adult Borbo cinnara butterflies are attracted to nectar sources. Scientists in South Asia are working to prevent the extinction of these pollinators, which are threatened by habitat loss, climate change, and pesticide use. A rice swift butterfly (Borbo cinnara) is on top of a wildflower Lantana (an invasive species feeding considered to be noxious weeds) sucking nectar in a forest at Tehatta, West Bengal; India on 10/11/2024.