JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH Journal homepage: www.jakraya.com/journal/jwr ORIGINAL ARTICLE Diversity of Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) Fauna in Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park, Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, India Kaisar Ahmad Allie 1*, Aqleem-ul-Islam 1, Kaisar Ahmad Bhat 2, Shaheen Majeed Wani 1, Ali Asghar Shah 1 and Rifat Hussain Raina 3 1Department of Zoology, 2Department of Biotechnology, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, India. 3Desert Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Jodhpur, India. Abstract Among the insects, butterflies are known as one of the diversified and intensively studied taxonomic group. But due to habitat destruction and *Corresponding Author: other practices, they are disappearing at fast rate. In the present study, the Kaisar Ahmad Allie butterfly diversity of Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park (PPBP) of Baba Ghulam Email: [email protected] Shah Badshah University, Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, India was assessed. A total of 36 species were recorded. They fall under 5 families Received: 14/05/2020 and 27 genera. Pieridae was found to be the most dominant family on the Accepted: 31/05/2020 basis of species number (14) followed by Nymphalidae (09), Lycaenidae (07), Papilionidae (03,) Hesperiidae (02) and Libytheinae (01). The most dominant genus was Catopsilia (04-species) followed by Pieris (03- species) and the least dominant genus was Libythea (01-species). Keywords : Butterfly diversity, Habitat, Biodiversity, Lepidoptera. 1. Introduction Butterflies are insects which belong to the order 2. Materials and Methods Lepidoptera and clade Rhopalocera. Adult butterflies A random survey was conducted from March are large, often brightly coloured wings, and fluttering 2018 to August 2019 in Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park flight. Butterflies are an important part of ecosystems (PPBP) of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, as they are good pollinators and at the same time Rajouri, for assessing the diversity of butterflies. The herbivores (Tiple et al., 2006). Because of their sturdy aerial sweep nets were used for the collection of sensitivity to habitat degradation and climate changes, specimens. The collected specimen was kept in an butterflies are known as good indicators of insect jar containing cotton balls soaked with alcohol environmental changes (Kunte, 2000). Twenty and carried to the laboratory. In the laboratory the thousand (20,000) species of butterflies, have been specimens were taken out one by one by using forceps recorded world-wide (Aiswarya et al., 2014). Among from the bottle. They were stretched carefully. The these, tropical regions have been found to harbour insect pins were pierced through the right thorax and about 80 percent species. The enormous diversity in kept in the insect collection box. Although, some vegetation types and different climatic seasons, the butterflies have good population but some are rare. So Indian sub-continent is a home of about 1,504 species in this context, only few specimens were collected from of butterflies (Tiple, 2011). Payra et al. (2016) studied each genus in order to protect from being extinct. The the detailed butterfly diversity in two selected fringe identification was done with the help of a field guide area of Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Odisha, India. As (Wynter-Blyth, 1957; Kunte, 2000; Haribal, 1992; for as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, Sharma and Evans, 1932). Photographic guides of Smith (2006), Sharma (2017), reported two new species of butterflies Van dr Poel and Wangchuk (2007) were also consulted. from Jammu. Sheikh and Parray (2019) reported for the The scientific names used in the present study is first time six species of butterfly from Jammu and according to Varshney (1983) and common English Rajouri Districts of Jammu and Kashmir Himalaya. names follow Wynter-Blyth (1957). On the basis of Biodiversity Pir Panjal Park is located in the count, the species were divided into five categories. main campus of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah Species with count less than 5 times were assigned as University, Rajouri, India. The Park is spread over an very rare category (VR), less than 10 times were area of 437 acres in the Dhanore area of the famous Pir assigned as rare category (R), between 10-20 times as Panjal Himalayan range. The area is Rocky type and not rare category (NR), between 20-30 as common undulating. The dominant vegetation of the park category (C) and above than 30 as very common include: Amaranthus spinosus, Zanthoxylum Armatum, category (VC). Pinus roxburghii, Grewia oppositifolia and Ulmus wallichiana. 3. Results and Discussion Journal of Wildlife Research | April-June, 2020 | Volume 08 | Issue 02 | Pages 45-49 © 2020 Jakraya Allie et al...Diversity of Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) Fauna in Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park, Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, India The total numbers of species recorded were 36. Lycaenidae 19%, Hesperiidae 8% , Libytheinae 6% and These belong to 27 genera and six families viz . Pieridae Hesperiidae 3% (Fig 1). (14 species), Nymphalidae (09 s pecies), Lycaenidae (07 Of the 27 genera recorded , the most dominant species), Papilionidae (03 species), Hesperiidae (02 genus was Catopsilia (04) species followed by Pieris species) and Libytheinae (01). Among these, the most (03) and the least dominant species was Libythea (01) dominant family was Pieridae having 14 species as presented in (Fig 3; Table 1). The VC species were followed by Nymphalidae 9 species . The least members of the family Nymphalidae followed Pieridae. dominant was Hesperiidae 2 species followed by The members of the family Papilionidae and Libytheinae 1species (Fig 2). The percentage score was Lycaenidae were NR, but members of the family found to be Pieridae 3 9%, Nymphalidae 25% , Libytheinae were VR (Fig 4). 6% 3% Pieridae 8% Nymphalidae 39% Lycaenidae 19% Papilionidae Hesperiidae Libytheinae 25% Fig 1: Percentage-wise family composition of Butterflies in Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park. Libytheinae Hesperiidae Papilionidae Lycaenidae FAMILY Nymphalidae Pieridae 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 NUMBER OF BUTTERFLY SPECIES Fig 2: Family-wise diversity of butterfly species in Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Journal of Wildlife Research | April -June, 2020 | Volume 08 | Issue 02 | Pages 45-49 © 2020 Jakraya 46 Allie et al...Diversity of Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) Fauna in Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park, Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, India 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Fig 3: Pictorial representation of butterflies reported from Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park. Journal of Wildlife Research | April-June, 2020 | Volume 08 | Issue 02 | Pages 45-49 © 2020 Jakraya 47 Allie et al...Diversity of Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) Fauna in Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park, Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir, India Libytheinae Very Rare Hesperiidae Rare Papilionidae Not rare Lycaenidae Not rare Nymphalidae Very common Pieridae Common 0 5 10 15 20 Fig 4: Category-wise diversity of butterfly species in Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park. Table 1: List of butterflies recorded from Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park (Species numbers correspond to Fig 3 species names) S. No. Scientific name Common name Family 1. Catopsilia pomona Lemon emigrant Pieridae 2. Colias romanovi Clouded yellows Pieridae 3. Aglais caschmirensis Indian tortoiseshell Nymphalida 4. Phalanta phalantha Common Leopard Nymphalidae 5. Chilades parrhasius Small Cupid Lycaenidae 6. Pontia daplidice Bath white Pieridae 7. Vanessa cardui Painted lady Nymphalidae 8. Virachola Isocrates Common guava blue Lycaenidae 9. Eurema alitha Scalloped grass yellow Pieridae 10. Pieris rapae Small cabbage white Pieridae 11. Colias electo African clouded yellow Pieridae 12. Albulina omphisa Dusky Green-underwing Lycaenidae 13. Gonepteryx rhamni Common brimstone Pieridae 14. Eurema laeta Spotless grass yellow Pieridae 15. Danaus chrysippus African queen Nymphalidae 16. Udaspes folus Grass demon Hesperiidae 17. Pieris canidia Indian cabbage white Pieridae 18. Kaniska canace Blue admiral Nymphalidae 19. Caltoris kumara Blank swift Hesperiidae 20. Taraka hamada Forest Pierrot Lycaenidae 21. Papilio paris Paris Peacock Papilionidae 22. Libythea celtis Nettle-tree butterfly Libytheinae 23. Catopsilia pyranthe Mottled emigrant Pieridae 24. Papilio maackii Alpine black swallowtail Papilionidae 25. Catopsilia crocale/pomonas Lemon emigrant Pieridae 26. Junonia orithya Blue pansy Nymphalidae 27. Lampides boeticus Pea blue Lycaenidae 28. Belenois aurota Caper white Pieridae 29. Papilio polytes Common Mormon Papilionidae 30. Heliophorus sena Sorrel sapphire Lycaenidae 31. Mycalesis igilia Long-brand bushbrown Nymphalidae 32. Callerebia scanda Pallid argus Nymphalidae 33. Polyommatus stoliczkanus Himalayan Meadow Blue Lycaenidae 34. Pieris brassicae Large cabbage white Pieridae 35 Catopsilia florella Common vagrant Pieridae 36. Ypthima avanta Jewel fourring Nymphalidae The availability of nectar plants and the host Foeniculum vulgare, Artemisia nilagirica, Artemisia plants on which the butterfly pupae feed is directly parviflora, Debregeasia salicifolia, Ulmus wallichiana, proportional to diversity of the particular area. The high Celtis australis, Grewia oppositifolia, Sapindus diversity of Pieridae and Nymphalidae families indicate mukorossi, Populus ciliate, Zanthoxylum armatum, diversified plant spe cies in Pir Panjal Biodiversity Park. Pyrus pashia, Punica granatum, Pinus roxburghii, Some commonly found plant species of the present