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VOL. 10, ISSUE 3 (2025)
Studies on butterfly (Insect: lepidoptera) diversity in Narayani temple sacred grove in a patch of forest of Ganjam, Odisha, India
Authors
Dr. Mousumi Das, Avishikta Ghosh, Somdutta Basu Thakur
Abstract
The present survey was conducted to assess the
diversity and abundance of butterfly fauna in Narayani Temple sacred grove
situated in Ganjam district of Odisha, India for seven consecutive days in the
month of December, 2024. The dense tropical deciduous forests serve as a
hotspot of biodiversity, sustaining diverse butterfly fauna. The study recorded
the presence of 98 different butterfly species, belonging to six families and
66 different genera. Highest number of butterfly species were recorded from
family Nymphalidae (34.73%) followed by Pieridae (31.22%), Lycaenidae (21.25%),
Papilionidae (6.52%), Hesperiidae (5.71%) and the least number of butterfly
species were observed from the family Riodinidae (0.57%). On the basis of
sightings of butterfly species, 55.42% of the butterfly species were under not
rare category, 23.76% were under rare category, 12.73% were under very common
category, 6.96% were under common category and lastly 1.13% under very rare
category. Among the recorded butterfly species, 21 of them are legally
protected under various schedules of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Values of
studied diversity indices such as Shannon diversity index (H'= 4.17),
demonstrated the high species richness of the butterfly community. Pielou’s
evenness index (j=0.91) depicted the evenly distributed nature of the recorded
butterfly species. Simpson's index of diversity (D= 0.02) which indicated the
persistence of high species abundance in the butterfly community. Thus, information
from this preliminary survey will prove to be helpful towards conservation of
the habitat as well as the butterfly fauna in Narayani Temple sacred grove.
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Pages:176-185
How to cite this article:
Dr. Mousumi Das, Avishikta Ghosh, Somdutta Basu Thakur "Studies on butterfly (Insect: lepidoptera) diversity in Narayani temple sacred grove in a patch of forest of Ganjam, Odisha, India". International Journal of Entomology Research, Vol 10, Issue 3, 2025, Pages 176-185
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