Diversity of butterflies (Order: Lepidoptera) in Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary of Baramati Tehsil Dist. Pune (India).

Abstract

The butterflies are important bioindicators, which should be protected to conserve the biodiversity and environment. Different species of plants and habitats of Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary attract wide variety of butterflies. They play a vital role in pollination of various flowering plants besides a key component of food chain. Butterflies Biodiversity generally refers to the variety and variability of butterflies on Earth. It defines it in terms of the variability within species, between species and between ecosystems. It is a measure of the variety of butterflies present in different ecosystems. This can refer to genetic variation, ecosystem variation, or species variation (number of species) within an area, biome, or planet. A preliminary attempt on the diversity of butterflies was carried out in Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary of Baramati Tehsil Dist. Pune (India) and its vicinity. from June 2013 to May 2016 using transects lining method. The Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary Campus is surrounded by lush green hillocks, natural lakes and the sugarcane farms. The total of 96 species of butterflies belonging to 68 genera and five families were recorded during the study period, of which 13 species were under the rare category (included 9 rare* and 4 very rare**). It was observed that the family Nymphalidae represented by 23 genera and 34 species was the most dominant followed by Lycaenidae (19 genera, 20 species), Hesperiidae (13 genera, 15 species), Pieridae (9 genera, 14 species) and Papilionidae (4 genera, 13 species). As the area houses 96 species of butterflies distributed throughout the Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary of Baramati, it can be presumed to have a good diversity of butterflies, which may be attributed to the sprawling lawns and well nurtured gardens that provide a suitable nectar source throughout the varying seasons, and especially the eco-forests that serves a breeding habitat to the butterflies.