Species Richness and Diversity of Butterflies in Nagaland, North East Region of India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25077/aijent.4.1.1-10.2026Keywords:
biodiversity, butterflies, climate change, NagalandAbstract
The Northeast region of India is a hotspot of biodiversity, boasting one of the richest butterfly diversities in the Oriental region, particularly in endemic species. The Nagaland region, located in the north-eastern part of India, is renowned for its rich biodiversity. The place has a montane ecosystem, which means the butterflies here differ from those in other mountain terrains and remain understudied. The study focuses on cataloging and monitoring butterfly species from Aug 2021 to Aug 2023 in and around Nagaland. The survey is done by the simple checklist method. Observation is done using a simple visual method; data collection is via the transect method. The transect distance range was mainly 500 m to 1.5 km along the roadside or streamside. A total of 64 species of 6 families were recorded during the study. Among 6 families, Hesperiidae (8), Lycaenidae (10), Papilionidae (11), Pieridae (9), Nymphalidae (25), and Riodinidae (1) species were found in the study area. The study shows that the region is rich in butterfly diversity but understudied and in need of updated documentation. Therefore, continuous monitoring, research, and updating are significant for conservation and for mitigating the effects of changing climatic patterns and anthropogenic activities on butterfly diversity.
Downloads
References
Anto, M., Binoy, C. F., & Anto, I. (2021). Endemism-based butterfly conservation: Insights from a study in the Southern Western Ghats, India. Journal of Basic and Applied Zoology,82(22). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41936-021-00221-2
Bhowmik Suman. (2021).Fifty-one new additions to the butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) fauna of Tripura, North-east India.Revista Chilena de Entomología, 47 (1): 35-60.
Bohra S. C. & Purkayastha J.(2021).An insight into the butterfly (Lepidoptera) diversity of an urban landscape: Guwahati, Assam, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa.13(2), 17741–17752
Bora, A., Meitei, L. R., & Deb, M. (2014). Butterfly species richness and diversity in the Experimental Botanic Garden, Botanical Survey of India, ERC, Umiam, Meghalaya, India. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 4(2), 212–217.
Chakraborty, M., & Nath, B. (2015). Butterflies, the natural treasure of North East India. International Journal of Recent Scientific Research, 2(10), 2321–2705.
Chakrabortya S., Mitrajit D., Dev B.K.and Roychoudhury S. (2014).Depleting Butterfly Diversity and Conservation in Karimganj Area of Assam in Northeast India. Northeast Journal of Contemporary Research, 1(1), 25-32.
Dey, R., & Bortamuly, S. (2022). Butterfly checklist of Bongal Gaon village, including a sighting note of the globally rare Liphyra brassolis (Westwood, 1864) (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) from Upper Assam, India. Cuadernos de Biodiversidad, 63(1), 1–13.
Elwes, H. J. (1891). On butterflies collected by Mr W. Doherty in the Naga and Karen Hills and Perak. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1891, 249–289. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.10963642.1891.tb01750.x
Gogoi, R., Chetry, A., & Bhuyan, A. (2023). Diversity and species richness of butterflies in the Soraipung range of Dehing Patkai National Park, Assam, India. Journal of Basic and Applied Zoology, 84(6). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41936-023-00327-9
Hardersen, S. (2023). The butterflies and burnets (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae, Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Zygaenidae) of the Nature Reserve Bosco della Fontana (Lombardy, Italy). Natural History Sciences. Atti Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano, 10(2), 35–44. https://doi.org/10.4081/nhs.2023.657
Lodh R, Agarwala BK. (2016). Rapid assessment of diversity and conservation of butterflies in Rowa Wildlife Sanctuary: An Indo-Burmese Hotspot-Tripura, NE India. Tropical Ecology,57(2), 231-242.
Murray, W. (2019). Butterflies of Nagaland. Penthrill Publication.
Nagaland State Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department. (2021). Annual administration report.
Royer, R. A., Austin, J. E., & Newton, W. (1998). Checklist and ‘‘Pollard Walk’’ butterfly survey methods on public lands. The American Midland Naturalist, 140(2), 358–369. https://doi.org/10.1674/00030031(1998)140[0358:CAPWBS]2.0.CO;2
Sondhi, S., & Naro, T. (2014). Butterflies of Chizami, Phek, Nagaland. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 3(6).
Sreekumar PG, Balakrishnan M. (2001). Habitat and altitude preferences of butterflies in Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala. Tropical Ecology, 42, 277-281.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Yojana Patil, Shruti Kulkarni
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
