Psychophily and Melittophily in Spermacoce Articularis L

Spermacoce articularis is an annual prostrate herb which commonly occurs in open, dry rocky and gravel places during rainy and winter season. It is branched, sub-shrubby with sharply 4-angled stem covered with minute hairs. It carpets the soil with numerous individuals in prostrate form. The flowering occurs during July-February. The flowers are funnel-shaped, and borne commonly in groups 5-6 and rarely 8-9 in the axils of the leaves. The flowers are stalkless, small, odourless, 10-15 mm long, bisexual and actinomorphic. The thrips use floral buds for breeding and floral rewards for feeding. Bees such as Apis cerana, Apis florea, Ceratina viridissima and Nomia oxybeloides use the flowers consistently as pollen and nectar source. Pierid butterflies like Eurema hecabe and Leptosia nina, Nymphalid butterflies like Junonia lemonias, Junonia hierta, Junonia almana and Danaus chrysippus. Lycaenid butterflies like Castalius rosimon, Euchrysops cnejus, Everes lacturnus, Jamides celeno and Spindasis vulcanus. The above butterflies are using the flowers as exclusive nectar source. The study suggests that S. articularis flowers and bees and butterflies have mutual interactions which benefit both, the former for pollination and the latter for food.