Peter Smetacek works on the taxonomy and zoo-geography of Indian Lepidoptera. He is also interested in exploring the potential of Lepidoptera as bio-indicators of ecological functions and groundwater.

In this part, we examine some causes of congregations, look at courtship and wonder at migration.

A butterfly is the final stage of a life cycle consisting of an egg, larva, pupa and adult. In this adult stage, a butterfly has four main tasks: locating a mate and mating, laying eggs on suitable substrate, feeding and, of course, surviving long enough to achieve the first three. Since we are presently not in a position to attribute consciousness and personality to individual butterflies, we must presume that these tasks are performed according to genetically encoded behaviour patterns that vary from group to group, or from species to species and, sometimes, among individuals within a species.

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Address for Correspondence
Peter Smetacek
Jones Estate P.O. Bhimtal,
Nainital Uttaranchal 263 136, India.