BU R&D Journal 24 (1): 19-28, July 2021 | ISSN (Print): 0016-4139 Short Communication journal.bicol-u.edu.ph | ISSN (Online): 2719-082X doi: 10.47789/burdj.mbtcbbgs.20212401.03 Butterfly Fauna of Catanduanes Island, Philippines: New locality records (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) Niño R. Mape1,3*, Agnes A. Talavera2, Evelyn M. Flores3, John Ronel S. Gil3 Shiela B. Conche4, Leslie T. Ogalesco5, and Jade Aster T. Badon6,2 1Biology Department, Bicol University College of Science, Legazpi City, Philippines 2Philippine Lepidoptera Butterflies and Moths Inc., Quezon, Nueva Ecija, Philippines 3Catanduanes Biodiversity, Virac, Catanduanes, Philippines 4Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO), San IsidroVillage, Virac, Catanduanes, Philippines 5Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region V, Rawis, Legazpi City, Albay 4500, Philippines 6Biology Department, Silliman University, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental 6200, Philippines *Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract A four-year inventory of butterfly species in Catanduanes Island is presented in this paper with new locality records. Photographs of butterflies reported by citizen scientists to the Philippine Lepidoptera Butterflies and Moths Inc. and Catanduanes Biodiversity from May 2016 to December 2020 were compiled to generate an updated species list of the butterflies present on the island. A total of 134 species of butterflies were recorded belonging to five families and 95 genera. Butterfly species in the family Nymphalidae are the most speciose (37%), while Papilionidae scores the least (9%). Of the 134 species, 32 or 24% are endemic, including the Catanduanes endemic subspecies Ragadia luzonia obscura and Pachliopta kotzebuea calataganensis. Catanduanes Island, despite being a small island still hosts a high number of endemic species, and 75 species recorded during the inventory were new locality records. These updated data about the butterfly composition and new butterfly localities in Catanduanes are useful in the possible identification and declaration of additional protected areas or conservation sites on the island. Keywords: butterflies, Catanduanes Island, citizen science, endemic, inventory, Philippine Lepidoptera The Order Lepidoptera, comprising of butterflies are still scarce hence, published papers are scanty. Among and moths, is one of the most speciose insect orders these papers include the assessment of the status of with almost 160,000 described species worldwide butterflies in Mt. Isarog Natural Park in Camarines Sur, (Kristensen et al., 2007; Gullan & Cranston, 2014). Their where 41 species were recorded mostly in cultivated conspicuousness and attractiveness have made them areas (PCARRD, 2007), and the diversity assessment in popular to amateur entomologists and render them to Mt. Masaraga in Albay, in which 17 butterfly species be one of the most studied taxa (Kristensen et al., 2007). were documented (Galicia et al., 2011). Some provinces, In the Philippines, several lepidopterological surveys such as Catanduanes and Masbate, were already surveyed and studies conducted through the years revealed a but only in a short span of time due to civil unrest surprisingly rich species diversity of butterflies and (Treadaway & Schroeder, 2012). The second exploration moths. Among these remarkable works that became the on the butterfly fauna of Catanduanes was done from foundation of Philippine lepidopterology were done by March to April 2016 by the Catanduanes Sustainable Semper (1896-1902), Baltazar (1991), and Treadaway Ecosystems Development, Inc. (ECODEV) focusing on and Schroeder (2012). The country now has around 927 the four protected watershed areas of the island. The butterfly species, of which a third of the total are endemic rapid survey revealed 26 species of butterflies, of which (Treadaway & Schroeder, 2012). nine species were new island records (Catanduanes Tribune, 2018). In the Bicol Region, studies on Philippine butterflies BU R&D Journal, Vol. 23, July 2020 ISSN (Print): 0016-4139 | ISSN (Online): 2719-082X Mape et al.: Butterfly Fauna of Catanduanes Island, Philippines: New locality records (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) journal.bicol-u.edu.ph Catanduanes is a province-island in the Bicol Region G. Treadaway, a Philippine butterfly specialist. Being located on the easternmost seaboard of the Philippine considered as the last frontier of Bicol Region in terms archipelago and is bounded on the west by the Maqueda of forest cover, an updated report on its butterfly fauna is Channel, on the south by the Lagonoy Gulf, and on the needed as this can be used in future conservation projects north and east by the Philippine Sea. Having a total land of its local biodiversity. area of 1, 511.48 km2, it is characterized by hilly and mountainous topography with significant landforms To better understand the butterfly fauna of and forests (DENR-Catanduanes, 2011). Aside from its Catanduanes, a four-year inventory of the butterfly rich forest landscape and topography, its isolation from species present on the island was conducted utilizing the mainland Luzon provides an avenue for the possible the Philippine Lepidoptera Facebook group created and discovery of new island records as well as undescribed managed by the Philippine Lepidoptera Butterflies and species or subspecies, especially that this island was Moths Inc. (PhiLep Inc.). Photographs of butterflies visited less frequently by entomologists including Colin posted by citizen scientists on Philippine Lepidoptera that were taken within the vicinity of Catanduanes Island from May 2016 to December 2020 were used as data in this inventory. Search keys, such as “Catanduanes” and “Catanduanes Island”, were used to filter the information available on the Facebook group. Photographs with good resolution and with essential information, such as the date photographed and location, were downloaded, compiled, and recorded. Photographs reported by the members of Catanduanes Biodiversity (CatBio) to the first and fourth authors through their group chat were recorded as well. Photographs that are of low resolution, meaning they do not clearly reveal the significant external features of the specimen, and without accompanying location were disregarded to avoid misidentification and inaccuracy of data. A letter asking for permission to use the photographs in the inventory was sent to all citizen scientists. The observations of citizen scientists who opted not to include their photographs in the inventory were excluded. The photographed specimens were identified up to the species or subspecies level whenever possible by the second and seventh authors by referring to the field guides of Hardy and Lawrence (2017) and Badon (2014). To supplement the identification process, the publications of Page and Treadaway (2004) and Badon (2019) were also used for the species identification of the Papilionidae and Pieridae, de Jong and Treadaway (2007, 2008) for the Hesperiidae, along with the website of Takanami (2016) for the Lycaenidae. Species that were difficult to identify, usually having only a photograph of the underside or Figure 1. Some of the new butterflies recorded on the upperside wings, were identified to the genus level Catanduanes Island. (A) Bibasis oedipodea paltra, (B) only. The collected photographs of specimens were Bibasis gomata lorquini (C) Hasora taminatus padma, sorted by family, and a database was then generated (D) Tagiades gana elegans, (E) Telicota ancilla minda, (F) using Microsoft Excel containing the identification of Allotinus fallax fallax, (G) Euchrysops cnejus cnejus, (H) the species/subspecies together with their local and Nacaduba limbura, (I) Taractrocera luzonensis luzonensis, (J) Philippine distribution, date photographed, and the name Potanthus mingo, (K) Zizeeria karsandra, (L) Neopithecops of the citizen scientists. zalmora zalmora. Photo courtesy of Jay A. Bautista (A-B), Evelyn M. Flores (C-H), and Shiela B. Conche (I-L). The four-year inventory revealed a total of 134 20 BU R&D Journal, Vol. 23, July 2020 Mape et al.: Butterfly Fauna of Catanduanes Island, Philippines: ISSN (Print): 0016-4139 | ISSN (Online): 2719-082X New locality records (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) journal.bicol-u.edu.ph Table 1. List of butterfly species recorded in Catanduanes Island with their endemicity and distributional status. Taxon Endemicity New Locality Record Hesperiidae Bibasis oedipodea paltra (Evans, 1949) N Bibasis gomata lorquini (Mabille, 1876) N Hasora chromus chromus (Cramer, 1782) N Hasora sp. Hasora schoenherr saida (Hewitson, 1867) N Hasora taminatus padma Fruhstorfer, 1911 N Aeromachus plumbeola (C. & R. Felder, 1867) Philippine Endemic N Baoris oceia (Hewitson, 1868) N Borbo cinnara (Wallace, 1866) N Cephrenes acalle chrysozona (Plötz, 1883) N Gangara thyrsis philippensis (Fabricius, 1775) N Erionota sp. Halpe luteisquama (Mabille, 1877) Philippine Endemic N Koruthaialos rubecula luzonensis Fruhstorfer, 1910 Matapa aria (Moore, 1866) N Notocrypta paralysos volux (Mabille, 1883) N Oriens californica (Scudder, 1872) Philippine Endemic N Parnara kawazoei Chiba & Eliot, 1991 N Pelopidas agna agna (Moore, 1866) N Pelopidas mathias mathias (Fabricius, 1798) N Taractrocera luzonensis luzonensis (Staudinger, 1889) N Potanthus mingo (Edwards, 1866) N Telicota ancilla minda Evans, 1934 N Suastus migreus Semper, 1892 Philippine Endemic N Ancistroides nigrita (Latreille, 1824) N Tagiades gana elegans Mabille, 1877 N Tagiades japetus titus (Plötz, 1884)