Diversity of butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

Abstract

The loss and fragmentation of habitat caused by rapid urbanization can have devastating effects, both at regional and global level. In this study, butterfly species diversity has been assessed in Bhubaneswar, India, as a model geographical region for understanding the biology of the local population and its dynamics. In total 107 butterfly species have been documented, with the highest number of species being recorded from the family Nymphalidae (31.77%), followed by Lycaenidae (25.23%), Hesperiidae (23.36%), Pieridae (11.21%) and Papilionidae (8.41%). Out of these, 17 species are new reports for the city and nine species are legally protected in India under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Sørensen’s diversity index and one-way ANOVA have been used to establish the relation between species diversity and habitat. The present investigation provides baseline data for future research and conservation of species in places like the model city, which face rapid urbanization.

Diversity and Abundance of Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) in Sethu Bhaskara Agricultural College and Research Foundation, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, South India

“…No. Similarly, a high number of species from Nymphalidae were observed by [44][45][46][47][48] in their studies. The highest species richness and abundance might be due to the presence of host plants suitable for Nymphalidae [49], high dispersal ability, ecological adaptation, being polyfag characteristic and strong or active flight, enabling them to search for resources in large geographical areas [6,[50][51][52][53].…”

Butterfly fauna (insecta: Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) and larval host plant in Bongaon town, West Bengal, India

“…The least number of species were recorded from Site 4. High anthropogenic disturbance and the least vegetation might be a reason for this (Samal et al, 2021). The highest similar species assemblage was observed between Site 1 and Site 2 possibly due to there close proximity and the lowest similarity of species was recorded between Site 3 and Site 4 due to heterogeneity in habitat types (Table 3).…”

Diversity and richness of day Butterflies species (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) in the Chettaba Forest, Constantine, Northeastern Algeria

“…The Aleppo pine woodland has the least amount of butterfly species of all of the environments. It is most likely due to the station's high rate of tree layer recovery, which makes it less attractive to butterflies, which are heliophilic and thermophilic insects that prefer open spaces (Samal et al 2021). Finally, we should point out that the list of Rhopalocera discovered during this study is far from being exhaustive.…”

“…They react quickly to environmental changes and have high mobility and preference for specific habitats (Lee et al 2014(Lee et al , 2015Dennies et al 2017). They are also a taxonomic group of choice for biodiversity monitoring in a wide range of terrestrial habitats due to their high diversity and diverse ecological requirements (Samal et al 2021). As a result, the butterfly is one of the most researched invertebrate groups (Merckx et al 2013).…”