SPECIES DIVERSITY OF BUTTERFLIES IN MODERATELY DISTURBED FORESTS AND ALONG FOREST EDGES – A CASE STUDY OF KARJAT, DIST. AHMEDNAGAR, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA
RAHUL LAGHUDE
Department of Zoology, Ahmednagar College, Post Box No. 21, Station Road, Ahmednagar – 414 001 (Maharashtra State), India.
BALRAJ KHOBRAGADE *
Department of Zoology, Ahmednagar College, Post Box No. 21, Station Road, Ahmednagar – 414 001 (Maharashtra State), India.
JATISHWOR SINGH IRUNGBAM
Biology Centre CAS, Institute of Entomology and Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, CZ – 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Butterflies, belonging to the order Lepidoptera, are ecologically and economically important insects. This study was undertaken to assess the species diversity of butterflies in the moderately disturbed forests and along forest edges of Karjat, India. Bimonthly surveys were conducted by Modified Pollard Walk Method through walking transect during daytime. Forty five species were recorded as belonging to 33 genera in 5 families. The most dominant families were: Papilionidae (4 genera and 7 species), Pieridae (8 genera and 13 species), Nymphalidae (9 genera and 13 species), Lycaenidae (10 genera and 10 species) and Hesperiidae (2 genera and 2 species). It was observed that the diversity of species exists in the meadows, shrublands, moderately disturbed forests and along forest edges. It is concluded that the study area is a home to diverse species of butterflies and the same should be conserved by reducing human intervention that affects the flora and fauna of the area.
Keywords: Butterflies, conservation, diversity, forests, India, Karjat, species.