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VOL. 10, ISSUE 3 (2025)
Composition and diversity of butterfly (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) fauna in North Narayanguri, an adjoining area of Manas National Park, Assam, India
Authors
Dr. Mousumi Das, Avishikta Ghosh, Somdutta Basu Thakur, Srija Gan, Madhurima Sen
Abstract
Butterflies, being a fascinating creature of
nature as well as a great ecological indicator, have been on the forefront of
conservation initiatives since a long period. A short-term study on diversity
and abundance of butterfly community was carried out in North Narayanguri,
Assam, an adjoining area of Manas National Park from 10th to 16th
November, 2024, which recorded a total of 133 butterfly species belonging to
six families and 87 genera, out of which ten species were observed to be
legally protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. When comparing the
species percentage composition, Nymphalidae was found as dominant family
(40.54%), followed by Pieridae (29.28%), Lycaenidae (18.15%), Papilionidae
(6.55%), Hesperiidae (4.20%), Riodinidae (1.28%). Among all the sampled
butterfly species, Common Emigrant (Catopsilia Pomona) was found to be
the most abundant one constituting 4.20%, closely followed by Mottled Emigrant
(Catopsilia pyranthe) with 4.15%. Based on the sightings of the
butterflies during the survey period, 87.50% butterflies of the population were
under the category very common (VC), 10.66% under common (C), 1.46% under
fairly common (FC) and 0.39% under uncommon (UC) category. Family Nymphalidae
was recorded with the highest value for the Shannon diversity index (H')
(3.57), whereas, the lowest value for this index was recorded from Riodinidae
family (0.24). In case of Shannon Hmax, family Nymphalidae (2.98)
was again found as the most diverse one, followed by Pieridae (2.84) and
Lycaenidae family (2.63). The Whittaker plot and the results of diversity
indices, Shannon’s index (H’=4.38), Pielou’s evenness index (J=0.90) and
Simpson’s index of diversity (D=0.98) revealed that the butterfly community in
the study area was highly diverse with even distribution and high abundance.
The vegetations of this site provide a suitable habitat to the butterfly
community. For the conservation of this habitat and well-being of this
indicator species, there is a need of further studies focussing on assessment
of different aspects of butterfly ecology.
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Pages:53-64
How to cite this article:
Dr. Mousumi Das, Avishikta Ghosh, Somdutta Basu Thakur, Srija Gan, Madhurima Sen "Composition and diversity of butterfly (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea) fauna in North Narayanguri, an adjoining area of Manas National Park, Assam, India". International Journal of Entomology Research, Vol 10, Issue 3, 2025, Pages 53-64
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