Species Diversity and Habitat Association of Butterflies in Kemminje Village of Puttur Tehsil, Karnataka.
HOD & Assistant Professor of Zoology
Department of Zoology, St. Philomena College,
Puttur, D.K. Karnataka-574141
Cell No: 9980203262, Email: meekankshikodapala161@gmail.com
Butterflies have great importance as pollinators and bio-indicators of the environment. The field survey was carried out over a period of one year from July 2019 to June 2020, in Kemminje Village, to study the diversity of Butterflies and their abundance. Kemminje Village is in the foot hill of Western Ghats in Puttur Tq, D.K District, Karnataka. A total of 56 species belonging to five families were recorded during the survey in four different areas of the village viz, Agricultural lands, Forest patches, Open scrub and Human habitations. Among five families, Nymphalidae was the most dominant family represented by 29 species under 21 genera accounting for 53% of total species recorded followed by the family Papilionidae with 4 genera and 8 species (14.28%); family Hesperidae with 7 species under 6 genera accounting for 12.5%; family Pieridae with 6 species belongs under 5 genera (10.71%); and family Lycaenidae with 5 species belongs to 5 genera, accounting for 8.9%.
Key words: Butterflies Kemminje, Western Ghats
Butterflies are one of the most conspicuous and best taxonomically studied species belonging to insect group Lepidoptera. They are the most plant dependent group of insects when compared to the other mega diverse insect groups (Kristensen et al., 1999). They are identified as useful bio-indicators as they are responsive to any changes in their environment (temperature, humidity, light & rainfall patterns). They have aesthetic value, ecosystem value, educational value, health and economic values. They play significant role in ecosystem as pollinators and in food chain as predators of harmful insects. Some larval forms constitute agricultural pests. Butterflies are perhaps the most conspicuous and colorful insects. They make excellent subjects for natural history observations and scientific studies. The number of Indian butterflies amount to one-fifth of the world species (Kunte, 2000). In India, pioneering work in butterfly studies dates back to the 19th century (Goankar, 1996). There are 16,823 species recorded from all over the world and among them 1501 species of butterflies are recorded from India (Goankar, 1996) of which 334 species are found in Western Ghats. AFB declares the 1st Saturday of June as BEAD. Butterflies are strictly terrestrial. Virtually all butterflies are associated with plants. Feeding is a significant activity and food may be often being the most decisive factors affecting distribution, abundance and movement of animals. Having considerable importance, butterflies have been extensively studied in different parts of the world and in India. With this background the present work was under taken to study the existing diversity of butterflies and their association with different habitats in Kemminje village of Putthur Taluk, Dakshina Kannada.
The camera used was Sony with 16.2 mega pixel and 30x optical zoom. Flash was mostly kept off to capture natural color of butterflies. I have used Binocular to observe the Butterflies on flight and accessories to note down the characteristics of specimens in the field. Sweep net was used occasionally.The census was carried out from 9-00AM to 12-00 PM and 4-00 to 5-00 PM in clear weather without clouds.
STUDY AREA: The study area of present study was Kemminje (rural). Kemminje is a small village in Puttur Tehsil in Dakshina kannada Districtof Karnataka state, India. It is located at 12.740 N, 75.220 E The total geographical area of the village is 321.11 hactare. A total of 1205 houses in Kemminje village.Puttur is nearest town to Kemminje. Which is approximately 6 km away from Puttur town. The range of temperature of this village is 220C to 380C. The total geographical area of this village is 2067.86 hectares. The main occupation of this village is agriculture and allied activities. The Village is luxuriant in having 34.97 acres of deciduous forests. The agricultural land accounts 1525.97 acres which include Areca nut plantation, paddy fields, rubber plantation, pepper, coconut plantation, and also angiosperms in residential area.
Butterfly Sampling: Pollard Walk. Butterfly species composition and relative abundances are sampled using transect counts, modified from. Pollard (1977). Transact routes are established as appropriate for each sites. I have observed within 5 meter band on both side of transact, while walking at a slow and steady pace for 500meters. Identification was done by using field guides and references which are available for identification, classification and nomenclature of butterflies.
Butterflies were categorized into 4 groups based on their occurrence during the period of study. According to those species observed, 80%-100% were categorized as very common (V), 60% -80% as common (C), 40% -60% as occasional (O) and 20% -40% as rare (R). This method has been extensively used to survey and monitor Butterfly populations (Honda and Kato 2005; Lee et al.,., 2014).
A Total of 56 species belonging to 42 genera and 5 families were recorded (Table-1) from four field stations of Kemminje village along with host plants and photos in Plate-1. Of these Nymphalidae family was the largest family represented by 22 genera and 29 species (53.78%) Pieridae with 5 genera and 6 species (10.71%), Hesperidae family with 6 genera and 7 species (12.5%), Lycaenidae with 5 genera and 5 species (8.93%), Papilionidae with 4 genera and 8 species (14.28%) and the least was Lycaenidae with 5 genera and 5 species (8.93%) as presented in figure-1.
Out of five families of Butterflies, Nymperidae were the most commonly recorded, accounting for 50.81% of total species recorded followed by Papilionidae 14.75%, Hesperidae 13.11%, and Lycaenidae 11.47% of total species and minimum was recorded for Pieridae 9.8%. Thus, the relative abundance of species in respective families is shown in figure -2
The list of Butterflies identified are observed during the study period was represented with common name and scientific name and their respective families in table- 1. Butterflies were categorized into 4 groups based on their occurrence during the present study in figure -3.
According to the species observed, 22 species (80%-100%) were categorized as very common (VC), 19 species (60% -80%) as common (C), 15 species (40% -60%) as occasional (O) and 5 species (20% -40%) as rare (R), as in Table-1 and Figure -3.
Table 1: List of Butterflies and their status in Kemminje village, Puttur, Dakshina Kannada
|
Sl. No. |
Family |
Zoological Name |
Common Name |
Status |
|
|
Nymphalidae |
Precis iphita |
Chocolate pansy |
C |
|
|
|
Hypolimnas misippus |
Danaid Eggfly |
O |
|
|
|
Hypolimnas bolina |
Great Eggfly |
R |
|
|
|
Tirumala limniace |
Blue Tiger |
O |
|
|
|
Tirumala septentrions |
Dark Blue Tiger |
O |
|
|
|
Parantica aglea |
Glassy Tiger |
O |
|
|
|
Danaus genutia |
Striped Tiger |
C |
|
|
|
Elimnias hypermenstra |
Common Plamfly |
VC |
|
|
|
Euploca core |
Common Indian Crow |
VC |
|
|
|
Melanitis leda |
Common Evening brown |
VC |
|
|
|
Mycalesis perseus |
Common Bushbrown |
VC |
|
|
|
Mycalesis anaxias |
Whitebar Bushbrown |
VC |
|
|
|
Mycalesis patnia |
Gladeye Bushbrown |
C |
|
|
|
Orsotrioena medus |
Nigger |
VC |
|
|
|
Ypthima baldus |
Common Five Ring |
VC |
|
|
|
Ypthima huebneri |
Common Fore Ring |
VC |
|
|
|
Ypthima astrope |
Common Three Ring |
VC |
|
|
|
Acraea violae |
Tawny Coaster |
VC |
|
|
|
Cupha erymanthis |
Rustic |
O |
|
|
|
Vindula erota |
Cruiser |
R |
|
|
|
Euthalia nais |
Baronet |
O |
|
|
|
Euthalia acontheca |
Common Sailor |
O |
|
|
|
Neptis hylas |
Clipper |
C |
|
|
|
Parthenos sylvia |
Grey Count |
VC |
|
|
|
Tanaecia lepidae |
Common Baron |
O |
|
|
|
Dolpha evelina |
Redspot Duke |
O |
|
|
|
Junonia lemonias |
Lemon Pansy |
O |
|
|
|
Junonia atlites |
Grey Pansy |
O |
|
|
|
Pantoporia hordonia |
Lascar |
O |
|
|
|
Euripus consimilis |
Painted courtesan |
R |
|
|
|
Doleschalia bisaltide |
Autumn Leaf |
R |
|
|
Hesperidae |
Tagiades litigiosa |
Water Snow Flat |
C |
|
|
|
Calaenorrhinus ambareesa |
Malabar Spotted Flat |
O |
|
|
|
Sarangesa purendra |
Spotted Small Flat |
O |
|
|
|
Tambrix salsala |
Chestnut Bob |
C |
|
|
|
Taractrosa ceramas |
Tamil Grass Dart |
VC |
|
|
|
Taractrosa maevius |
Common Grass Dart |
VC |
|
|
|
Suastus gremius |
Indian plam Bob |
C |
|
|
Borbe cinnara |
Rice Swift |
VC |
|
|
|
Papilionidae |
Troides minos |
Southern Birdwing |
VC |
|
|
|
Pachiopta aristolochiae |
Common Rose |
C |
|
|
|
Pachiopta hector |
Common Mormon |
C |
|
|
|
Papilio polytes |
Crimson Rose |
C |
|
|
|
Papilio polymnestor |
Blue Mormon |
C |
|
|
|
Papilio paris |
Paris Peacock |
C |
|
|
|
Graphium sarpedon |
Common Bluebottle |
C |
|
|
|
Graphium agamemnon |
Tailed Jay |
VC |
|
|
|
Papilio demoleus |
Lime swallowed tail |
C |
|
|
Pieridae |
Catopsilia pamona |
Common Emigrant |
C |
|
|
|
Catopsilia pyranthe |
Mottled Emigrant |
C |
|
|
|
Eurema hecaba |
Common Grass Yellow |
VC |
|
|
|
Delias eucharis |
Common Jezebel |
O |
|
|
|
Pieris canidia |
Indian Cabbage White |
VC |
|
|
|
Pareronia valeria |
Common Wanderer |
C |
|
|
Lycaenidae
|
Castalius rasimon |
Common Pierrot |
VC |
|
|
Discolampa ethion |
Banded Blue Pierrot |
VC |
|
|
|
Tarucus nara |
Rounded Pierrot |
VC |
|
|
|
Zizula hylax |
Tiny Grass Blue |
C |
|
|
|
Jamidas celeno |
Common Cerulean |
VC |
|
|
|
Luthrodes pandava |
Plains Cupid |
C |
|
|
|
Cigarits vulcanus |
Common silverline |
R |
*Note: VC – very common, C – common, O – occasional and R – rare
Fig1:Distribution of genera and species of butterflies with their respective families in Kemminje village
Figure-2. General relative abundance (%) of Species of butterflies in Kemminje village
Figure-3. Status of Butterflies in Kemminje village
Figure-4. Distribution of Species in different Habitats in Kemminje village
It is revealed that Kemminje village supports butterfly community was in Nymphalidae family exerting dominance over the others. However in residential areas the occurrence of butterflies is in less extent as compared to deciduous forest and agricultural lands. The most important threat to butterfly diversity is human interference. Lack of food and reduced host plants decrease the chances to increase their progeny. This was also evident from the fact that the butterflies were most commonly seen near agricultural land and borders of forest areas and less in areas near human dwellings (Table-2). However in some well-maintained garden with angiosperms and other plant species in residential areas witness the increased butterfly species. Increased human activities were associated with decreased butterfly species and it is claimed that the rich, rare and specialized species were the most affected. Dry Deciduous habitat showed highest number of species as these areas are relatively rich in food resources in terms of nectars for butterflies. Many species depend on remnant vegetation or secondary forest for survival, especially in disturbed areas. Butterfly diversity studies carried out at various places showed a varied pattern the Lakkavalli range of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka with 54 species (Ragavendra et al., 2011.), west Singhbhum in Jharkand revealed 71 species (Arun, 2010). Nymphalid butterflies in Rani-Garbhanga reserve forest, Assam had 109 species (Saikia et al.,., 2010). The diversity in tropical forest research institute, Jabalpur, had 66 species (Tiple, 2012).
Table - 2 Distribution of Butterflies in different Habitats.
|
Sl. no |
Habitats |
No. of butterflies observed |
Total species |
|
1 |
Agricultural lands |
368 |
25 |
|
2 |
Deciduous forest patches |
276 |
20 |
|
3 |
Open scrub |
149 |
10 |
|
4 |
Human habitations |
129 |
06 |
|
|
Total |
922 |
61 |
Plate-1: Butterflies and host plant
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chocolate Pansy |
Common Palmfly |
Great Eggfly |
Blue Tiger |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Glassy Tiger |
Striped Tiger |
Dark Blue Tiger |
Common Indian Crow |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common Eveningbrown |
Common Five Ring |
Common Bushbrown |
Nigger |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common Four Ring |
Gladeye Bushbrown |
Common Three Ring |
Tawny Coaster |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rustic |
Cruiser |
Common Sailor |
Clipper |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grey Count |
Common Baron |
Redspot Duke |
Lemon Pansy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grey Pansy |
Lascar |
Autumn Leaf |
Danaid Eggfly |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Water Snow Flat |
Malabar Spotted Flat |
Tamil Grass Dart |
Southern Birdwing |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common Rose |
Common Mormon |
Paris Peacock |
Blue Mormon |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tailed Jay |
Common Bluebottle |
Common Emigrant |
Common Jezebel |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Indian Cabbage White |
Mottled Emigrant |
Common Pierrot |
Slate Flash |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tiny Grass Blue |
Rounded Pierrot |
Common Cerulean |
|
CONCLUSION:
Kemminje village is rich in butterfly species. Butterflies are an excellent choice for monitoring the habitat quality. These butterflies are to be protected as per the Wildlife Act, 1972. Any changes in landscape, land use pattern and loss of vegetation are harmful to the butterfly diversity in terms of species richness leads to a potential loss of endemism. The diversity depends on the floral diversity and other factors. So conservation of butterflies may possible by enhancement of vegetation. Art of identification is the foundation for this study. Field guides are the door to study the systematic
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
I am very grateful to my family for their continuous support.
REFERANCE:
