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The Journal of Threatened Taxa (JoTT) is dedicated to building evidence for conservaton globally by publishing peer-reviewed artcles OPEN ACCESS online every month at a reasonably rapid rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org. All artcles published in JoTT are registered under Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License unless otherwise mentoned. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of artcles in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Short Communication Status, abundance, and seasonality of butterfly fauna at Kuvempu University Campus, Karnataka, India M.N. Harisha & B.B. Hoset 26 April 2021 | Vol. 13 | No. 5 | Pages: 18355–18363 DOI: 10.11609/jot.4488.13.5.18355-18363 For Focus, Scope, Aims, and Policies, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/aims_scope For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/policies_various For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. The journal, the publisher, the host, and the part- Publisher & Host ners are not responsible for the accuracy of the politcal boundaries shown in the maps by the authors. Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 April 2021 | 13(5): 18355–18363 ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) OPEN ACCESS htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.4488.13.5.18355-18363 #4488 | Received 15 October 2020 | Final received 21 March 2021 | Finally accepted 05 April 2021 SHORT COMMUNICATION Status, abundance, and seasonality of buterfy fauna at Kuvempu University Campus, Karnataka, India M.N. Harisha 1 & B.B. Hoset 2 1,2 Department of Post Graduate Studies and Research in Wildlife and Management, Kuvempu University, Jnana Sahyadri, Shankaraghata, Shivamogga, Karnataka 577451, India. 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected] Abstract: A survey was conducted to record the diversity, status, and northern Western Ghats (Gaonkar 1996). occurrence of buterfy species in the Kuvempu University Campus, The diversity of buterfies in a given area refects Jnana Sahyadri, Shivamogga District, Karnataka during February 2010 to January 2011. A total of 115 species of buterfies in 77 genera, the overall plant diversity and the presence of suitable belonging to fve families were recorded. Nymphalidae comprised habitats (Kakat 2006), making them good indicators of the highest number of species, followed by Lycaenidae, Pieridae, Papilionidae, and Hesperiidae. The study area hosts 14 species of health of the ecosystems (Padhye et al. 2006) that can buterfies protected under various schedules of the Indian Wildlife be used to assess the impact of various threats (Gaonkar Protecton Act, 1972. Nine species recorded are endemic to the 1996; Kunte 2000, 2008; Kehimkar 2008) and formulatng Western Ghats of peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Hence there is an urgent need to protect this habitat by adaptng long-term monitoring conservaton priorites for management of biodiversity. programs to manage and conserve the buterfy diversity. Thus, there is a need for studies of buterfy community structure and dynamic group structure in diferent Keywords: Diversity, Jnana Sahyadri, Lepidoptera, Seasonality, Shivamogga District, Western Ghats. regions to assess the impact of changing natural habitats on the diversity and distributon of buterfies. Material and Methods Buterfies are good indicators of habitat quality, Study Area climatc conditons, seasonal, and ecological changes; Kuvempu University Campus is located between buterfy studies can be used to formulate conservaton 13.7359° N and 75.6324° E at an elevaton of 680–720m. strategies (Beccaloni & Gaston 1995). India has 1,800 The campus is situated 24km south-east of Shivamogga species and subspecies of buterfies (Kunte et al. 2018), City and 4km north of Bhadra Reservoir amidst dry and peninsular India hosts 350 species including many deciduous forest, and is located on the edge of Bhadra endemics, most found in the Western Ghats (Kunte Tiger Reserve and Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. The 2008). Three-hundred-and-seventeen species have campus covers an area of 326 acres, with 56% of the land been recorded from the southern Western Ghats, being under forest (undisturbed area) and the remaining 316 from the central Western Ghats and 200 from the 44% occupied by buildings and associated landscaping Editor: Ashish D. Tiple, Vidyabharat College, Seloo, Wardha, India. Date of publicaton: 26 April 2021 (online & print) Citaton: Harisha, M.N. & B.B. Hoset (2021). Status, abundance, and seasonality of buterfy fauna at Kuvempu University Campus, Karnataka, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(5): 18355–18363. htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.4488.13.5.18355-18363 Copyright: © Harisha & Hoset 2021. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Funding: Kuvempu University. Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests. Acknowledgements: We take this opportunity to thank: the authorites of Kuvempu University for their support and facilites; all faculty members of Department of Wildlife and Management for their contnuous support; Mrs. Yashaswini M.P who helped in making the map of the study area with ArcGIS sofware; and Mr. Harish Prakash for proving some feld photographs. 18355 J TT Buterfy fauna at Kuvempu University Campus Harisha & Hoset Figure 1. Locaton map of Kuvempu University Campus. (Fig. 1). The predominant vegetaton is typically dry Kerala (Sneha 2018) to see the variaton in this forest deciduous forest having considerable similarity with the type. wildlife sanctuary. Results and Discussion Sampling method During the study a total of 115 species of buterfies The line transect method developed by the in 77 genera, belonging to fve families were recorded Insttuton of Terrestrial Ecology (Pollard 1979) was (Table 1, Images 1–16). The family Nymphalidae followed to monitor the diversity. Three line transects dominated with 38 species (33% of total species) were set up, which were approximately 500m long and recorded, followed by Lycaenidae with 28 species (24%), 10m wide, passing through diferent landscape element Pieridae with 23 species (20%), Papilionidae with 15 types. The transect lines were walked at a constant pace species (13%), and Hesperiidae with 11 species (10%) for approximately half an hour. Transects were walked (see Tables 1,2). The status of buterfies based on from 07.30 to 11.00 h when buterfies are most actve. frequency of occurrence revealed that 52 species were Transects were walked every month for a period of one common (45% of total), 23 rare (20%), 22 very common year from February 2010 to January 2011. Buterfies (19%), 11 very rare (10%), and 7 occasional (6%) (Tables were identfed with the help of feld guide (Kunte 1,2). 2000). Specimen collecton was strictly avoided. The Buterfies are seasonal in their occurrence. They taxonomic status of buterfies is adopted from Kunte are common for only a few months and rare or absent (2000). The status was scored using presence-absence in other parts of the year (Kunte 2000). During the scoring method and then percentage of abundance study, the seasonality in the occurrence of diferent was calculated to determine the status. On the basis of buterfy species was also recorded (Table 1). Figure 2 abundance, buterfies were categorized under diferent represents seasonal wise variatons in the abundance score classes such as 80–100% as very common (VC), and distributon of buterfy species. The number of 60–80% as common (C), 40–60% as occasional (O), 20– species encountered was highest during winter at 102 40% as rare (R), and below 20% as very rare (VR) (Aneesh species, and decreased to 85 in summer and 64 during et al. 2013). the monsoon; 39 species were sighted throughout the The seasonality of buterfies in the campus was year. then compared with trends available in other studies of Buterfies are sensitve to changes in habitat Western Ghats, from Peringome Vayakkara Panchayath, and climate, which infuence their distributon and 18356 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 April 2021 | 13(5): 18355–18363 Buterfy fauna at Kuvempu University Campus Harisha & Hoset J TT Table 1. Checklist of buterfies of Kuvempu University Campus along with legal status, status, and seasonality. Legal status Common name Scientfc name Status Seasonality (IWPA 1972) Papilionidae 1 Crimson Rose Pachliopta hector (Linnaeus, 1758) Sch. I VC M 2 Common Rose Pachliopta aristolochiae (Fabricius, 1775) R S, M 3 Malabar Rose* Pachliopta pandiyana (Moore, 1881) VR W 4 Common Mime Papilio clyta (Linnaeus, 1758) Sch. I R W, S, M 5 Common Mormon Papilio polytes (Linnaeus, 1758) C W, S, M 6 Blue Mormon** Papilio polymnestor (Cramer, 1775) R W, S, M 7 Lime Swallowtail Papilio demoleus (Linnaeus, 1758) VC W, S 8 Common-banded Peacock Papilio crino (Fabricius, 1793) VR W, S 9 Malabar Raven* Papilio dravidarum (Wood-Mason, 1880) R W, S 10 Red Helen Papilio helenus (Linnaeus, 1758) O W, M 11 Common Bluebotle Graphium sarpedon (Linnaeus, 1758) R W, M 12 Tailed Jay Graphium agamemnon (Linnaeus, 1758) VC W, S, M 13 Common Jay Graphium doson (C. & R. Felder, 1864) C W 14 Spot Swordtail Graphium nomius (Esper, 1799) C S 15 Sahyadri Birdwing* Troides minos (Cramer, 1779) R W, S, M Lycaenidae 16 Common Silverline Spindasis vulcanus (Fabricius, 1775) C W, S 17 Common Pierrot Castalius rosimon (Fabricius, 1775) Sch. I VC W, S, M 18 Red Pierrot Talicada nyseus (Guerin-Meneville, 1843) C W, S 19 Dark Pierrot Tarucus ananda (de Nicéville, 1884) Sch.