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Biodiversity and conservation strategies of Nymphalidae Butterflies in the

hill regions of Eastern Ghats of Southern Andhra Pradesh

Keywords: Biodiversity, Nymphalidae, Eastern Ghats, Simpson’s diversity indices.

ABSTRACT: Nymphalidae butterflies have a number of subfamilies, including the species such as Browns, Milkweeds, Heliconians and Beaks. These vary greatly in appearance ranging from small to large, with mostly in medium size. Some among these butterflies are powerful fliers (Nawabs and Rajahs) or migrants (Painted lady, Milkweed butterflies) while Bush browns (Mycalesis visala, Melanitis leda and Elymnias hypermnestra) and Rings (Ypthima baldus, Ypthima chenui and Ypthima philomela) are weak fliers. Three study sites i.e., Lankamalai of Kadapa district, Talakona and Tirumala Hills of Chittoor district of Eastern Ghats of Southern Andhra Pradesh were chosen. Captive breeding method has been adopted for restocking the population. Nearly 26 Nymphalidae species were identified from 6 sub families. Species diversity was calculated by using Simpson’s diversity indices along with the seasonality and population index, richness and evenness of the species were also discussed.

048-054 | JRAS | 2012 | Vol 1 | No 2

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Journal of Research in

Animal Sciences An International Open Access Online

Research Journal

Authors:

Prasanna Kumar V,

Harinath P and

Venkata Ramana SP.

Institution:

Department of Zoology,

Yogi Vemana University,

Kadapa.

Corresponding author:

Venkata Ramana SP.

Web Address: http://janimalsciences.com/

documents/AS0016.pdf

Dates: Received: 01 Sep 2012 Accepted: 26 Oct 2012 Published: 24 Nov 2012

Article Citation: Prasanna Kumar V, Harinath P and Venkata Ramana SP. Biodiversity and conservation strategies of Nymphalidae Butterflies in the hill regions of Eastern Ghats of Southern Andhra Pradesh. Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054

Journal of Research in Animal Sciences An International Online Open Access Publication group

Original Research

INTRODUCTION

From the time immemorial butterflies have

always fascinated humankind. They are certainly the

most popular and best-known group. In India, rainfall is

one of the major climatic factors that govern diversity

and abundance of butterfly fauna. In the Eastern Ghats of

Southern Andhra Pradesh, the hot spots for butterfly

diversity receiving the heaviest rainfall during the

southwest monsoon-starts in the last week of

May and ends at December. Vegetation in the study area

is of deciduous forests with patches of moist deciduous

and evergreen to semi evergreen forests

(Prasanna kumar et al, 2011). Eastern Ghats of Southern

Andhra Pradesh is a less researched area where much

information about butterfly species is unavailable

(Venkataramana, 2010). The butterflies are an essential

part of the any natural ecosystem that plays a dual role as

pollinators and energy transferors. It was encouraging

that butterflies are now being included in the biodiversity

studies and biodiversity conservation prioritization

programme (Murugesan and Muthusamy 2011).

Nymphalidae is the largest families of butterflies with

around 6000 species occurring worldwide, in India 521

species are present (Kehimkar, 2008). In the past few

decades, butterfly populations in India have declined

(Grewal,1996) and it is often suggested that captive

rearing / breeding and releasing of butterflies in the

wild will help restock at-risk populations and serve as a

means of conservation (Nicholls and Pullin, 2000;

Mathew, 2001; Crone et al, 2007; Schultz et al, 2008).

Currently, the awareness on butterfly rearing has

increased to a large extent globally. Conservation

organizations across North America, including

accredited zoos and aquariums, are engaged in the

captive rearing and reintroduction of endangered

butterflies, protection of endangered butterfly habitat,

and are conducting research about their unique habitat

needs (http://www.butterflyrecovery.org/recovery/).

The basic protocol of captive propagation is to collect

eggs from wild-mated female, rear larvae to adult

butterflies in captive propagation facilities, and release

adults/pupae back into wild populations (Crone et al,

2007). The present study describes the diversity of

species and their distribution. We also provide

information regarding the abundance of species along

with seasonality to take up necessary steps for their

conservation.

Study area

The Lankamalai hills (14°45'-14°72' N and

79°07'-78°80' E) of the Eastern Ghats selected for the

present study has normal rain fall of 700 mm and varies

from 400+ to 800+ mm. The maximum temperature

varies from 33-43oC. The places are known for its good

climate and consist of variety of butterfly host plants.

The Talakona region has many waterfalls (13°48′42″ N,

79°12′56″ E) even with 270 feet (82 m) height, and it

was the highest waterfall in Andhra Pradesh. Talakona

was declared as Bio-Sphere Reserve during 1989-90

because of wide variety of plant and animal species

present in the region. Talakona hills are geographically

considered as a part of Eastern Ghats. Tirumala

(13°40′59″ N, 79°20′49″ E) is a hill town in the Chittoor

district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Tirumala Hill is of

3,200 feet (980 m) above sea level, and the town covers

an area of approximately 10.33 square miles (26.8 km2).

049 Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054

Kumar et al.,2012

Fig 1 Study sites where diversity of the

Nymphalidae was recorded

In the area covered, these are seven peaks from the

Seshachalam range, a part of Eastern Ghats enriched

with medicinal herbs and shrubs and enjoying wide

range of Nymphalidae butterflies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Preliminary survey was conducted to identify

areas with large population of butterflies. Three locations

were selected which were visited thrice in a month from

August 2011 to September 2012. Data on butterfly fauna

its abundance and seasonality were based on observation

from 0700 to 1100 h and 1400 to 1600 h, photographic

documentation was done. The butterflies were initially

identified in the field condition and unidentified

butterflies were collected using nylon nets and were

identified using the keys of Kehimkar (2008) and

Wynter-Blyth (1957). The larvae of certain rare and

very rare butterflies were collected along with host plant

leaves in the petri plates and their life cycle was studied

in the captive breeding conditions in the laboratory and a

few in the Butterfly Park. The diversity of Nymphalids

(richness and evenness of the species) was calculated

using Simpson’s diversity indices

D=∑ (n /N) 2

n= the total number of organisms of a particular species:

N= the total number of organisms of all species

(The values will be between 0 and 1. The value D is

subtracted from 1. Greater the value greater the diversity)

Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054 050

Kumar et al.,2012

Table 1 Butterfly fauna, relative abundance and seasonality in study

sites from August 2011 to September 2012

*very rare **rare ***less common ****common *****very common

Scientific Name Common Name Season by months Relative Abundance

Subfamily: Danainae

1. Danaus chrysippus Plain tiger 1-12 * * * * *

2. D. plexippus Monarch 3-10 *

3. D. genutia Striped tiger 1-12 ****

4. Tirumala limniace Blue tiger 10-4 * * * *

5. Euploea core Common crow 1-12 * * * *

Subfamily : Satyrinae

6. Elymnias hypermnestra Common palm fly 9-3 *

7. Erites falcipennis Common Cyclops 9-3 *

8. Melanitis leda Common evening 9-5 * * * *

9. Mycalesis visala Long brand brush brown 1-3 *

Subfamily :Biblidinae

10. Ariadne merione Common castor 1-12 * * * *

11. Byblia ilithyia The Joker 3-7 * *

Subfamily: Nymphalinae

12. Hypolimnas bolina Great egg fly 6-10 * * * *

13. H. misippus Danaid egg fly 7-3 * * * *

14. Junonia almana Peacock pansy 7-12 * * * *

15. J. hierta Yellow pansy 6-12 * * *

16. J. lemonias Lemon pansy 1-12 * * * * *

17. J. orithyia Blue pansy 7-12 * * *

18. J. iphita Chocolate pansy 6-12 * * *

19. Vanessa indica Indian red admiral 4-5 *

Subfamily:Heliconiinae

20. Acraea terpsicore Tawny coster 1-12 * * * * *

21. Phalanta phalantha Common leopard 1-12 * * * *

22. Vindula erota Cruiser 9-11 *

23. Cupha erymanthis Rustic 1-11 ****

Subfamily:Limenitinae

24. Neptis hylas Common sailer 10-4 * * *

25. Euthalia telchinia Blue baron 5-8 *

26. Euthalia nais The baronet 6-10 * * * *

RESULTS

A detailed study of Nymphalidae butterflies was

conducted from August 2011 to September 2012. The

current study was taken up to study the species richness

and evenness and diversity of species. The steeper slopes

of Eastern Ghats have dense forests benefited from

the North east monsoon. Nearly 26 Nymphalidae

species were identified from 6 sub families (Plate 1).

Nymphalidae has a number of subfamilies, including the

butterfly species such as Browns, Milkweeds,

Heliconians and Beaks. These vary greatly in appearance

ranging from small to large, with most being of medium

size. Some among these butterflies are powerful fliers

(Nawabs and Rajahs) or migrants (Painted lady,

Milkweeds) while Bush browns and Rings are weak

fliers. Milkweed butterflies, being conspicuous and

common, are well known. Among milkweeds, crows and

tigers are known to migrate and roost together in

large numbers in sheltered woodlots during winter

and summer. Hill-topping, Gully bottoming and

Mudpuddling behavior were noticed in the study sites

(Fig 1). In the present study nearly 26 Nymphalidae

051 Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054

Kumar et al.,2012

A E

B F

C G

D H

I M

J N

K O

L P

Plate 1 Nymphalidae Butterflies

A. Phalanta phalantha E. Hypolimnas misippus (male) I. Hypolimnas misippus(female) M. Neptis hyla

B. Acraea violae F. Junonia almana J. Danaus chrysippus N. Danaus genutia

C. Hypolimnas bolina G. Junonia hierta K. Euploea core O. Ariadne merione

D. Junonia lemonias H. Junonia orithiya L. Tirumala limniace P. Byblia ilithyia

species were recorded (Table 1) and their abundance at

different sites and distribution (Table 2 and Table 3)

at each study site was recorded. The Nymphalinae

subfamily recorded more species, most of which are

called as pansy and also exhibit sexual dimorphism. Rare

and very rare species were also identified during the

study. Diversity in all the study sites was calculated

using Simpson’s diversity index (Table 4).

DISCUSSION

Due to topographical, vegetation changes and

availability of the host plants at the study sites the

distribution of species and availability of the species

differed a lot. The richness and evenness of the species

varied in all the study sites. The Talakona region

recorded the highest number of species when compared

to the Tirumala and Lankamalai study sites. There was

lot of unevenness of the species within each study site.

The diversity of species depends on factors

like topography and climate of the region; they are

the effective indicators of climate and environment

(Asher et al, 2001). Though there are migrants, richness

of butterfly species is greater on Talakona hills than the

other two regions due to much availability of host plants.

Danaus plexippus, Euthalia telchinia, Erites falcipennis,

Elymnias hypermnestra, Mycalesis visala,

Vindula erota and Vanessa indica are the seven very rare

species recorded in all the study sites out of which six

Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054 052

Kumar et al.,2012

Scientific Name Lankamalai hills Talakona hills Tirumala hills

Subfamily: Danainae

1. Danaus chrysippus + + +

2. D. plexippus - + + 3. D. genutia + + +

4. Tirumala limniace + + + 5. Euploea core + + +

Subfamily : Satyrinae 6. Elymnias hypermnestra + + +

7. Erites falcipennis - + - 8. Melanitis leda + + +

9. Mycalesis visala - + -

Subfamily :Biblidinae

10. Ariadne merione + + + 11. Byblia ilithyia + + +

Subfamily: Nymphalinae 12. Hypolimnas bolina + + +

13. H. misippus + + + 14. Junonia almana + + +

15. J. hierta + + + 16. J. lemonias + + +

17. J. orithyia + + + 18. J. iphita + + +

19. Vanessa indica - - +

Subfamily:Heliconiinae

20. Acraea terpsicore + + + 21. Phalanta phalantha + + +

22. Vindula erota - + - 23. Cupha erymanthis - + -

Subfamily:Limenitinae 24. Neptis hylas + + +

25. Euthalia telchinia - + - 26. E. nais - + +

TOTAL 18 25 21

Table 2 Distribution of Butterfly population at different study sites during

August 2011 to September 2012

very rare species were recorded in the Talakona region,

three in Tirumala region and a single species

Elymnias hypermnestra was recorded in the Lankamalai

region. When compared to the other two sites though the

species abundance was less in Lankamalai study site but

has greater species diversity. The eggs, larvae, pupae of

rare and very rare species were collected along with the

host plant leaves and were reared in the butterfly

laboratory and a few in the net house in captivity in order

to conserve their number from declining. The adults that

emerged were released in to the vegetation and a few

were retained in the park to rear them continuously and

release them periodically to sustain the species being

extinct.

The present data may be profitably utilized in the

successful conservation management of these butterfly

species either in parks, Zoos and butterfly houses or in

the field. Butterfly houses are popular exhibits in Zoos

and have an immense educational (Veltman, 2009) and

conservational potential (Mathew 2001; Veltman, 2009).

The present study also indicted that captive rearing the

larvae at about 28±2°C permits enough stock of adults

for restocking the areas poor in populations.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We acknowledge CSIR, New Delhi for financial

support through a major research project.

REFERENCES:

Asher J, Warren M, Fox R. 2001. The millennium

Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland. Oxford

University Press, Oxford.

Crone EE, Pickering D and Schultz CB. 2007. Can

captive rearing promote recovery of endangered

butterflies? an assessment in the face of uncertainty.

Biological Conservation. 139:103-112.

Grewal B. 1996. Friends of butterflies. Sanctuary Asia.

16:14-17.

Kehimkar I. 2008. The Book of Indian Butterflies,

Bombay Natural History Society. Oxford University

Press, Oxford, New York.

Mathew G. 2001. Conservation of invertebrates through

captive breeding: A study with reference to butterflies.

KFRI Research Report no. 220.

Murugesan S and Muthusamy M. 2011. Patterns of

butterfly biodiversity in three tropical habits at of the

eastern part of Western Ghats, Journal of Research in

Biology. 3:217-222

Nicholls CN and Pullin AS. 2000. A comparison of

larval survivorship in wild and introduced populations of

the large copper butterfly (Lycaena dispar batavus).

Biological Conservation. 93:349-358.

Prasanna kumar V Harinath P and Venkata Ramana

SP. 2011. Climate effects and habitat destruction on

Butterfly diversity in the Eastern Ghats of Southern

Andhra Pradesh. The Ecoscan: Special issue 1:139-143.

053 Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054

Kumar et al.,2012

Family Lankamalai

hills

Talakona

hills

Tirumala

hills

Danainae 300 500 450

Satyrinae 150 250 175

Biblidinae 60 50 70

Nymphalinae 400 900 700

Heliconiinae 150 400 350

Limenitinae 50 100 100

Total 1110 2200 1845

Table 3 Nymphalidae butterfly population at

different study sites during August 2011 to

September 2012.

Family Lankamalai

hills

Talakona

hills

Tirumala

hills

Danainae 0.927 0.949 0.941

Satyrinae 0.982 0.88 0.992

Biblidinae 0.998 0.999 0.999 Nymphalinae 0.871 0.833 0.857 Heliconiinae 0.982 0.968 0.965

Limenitinae 0.998 0.998 0.998

Table 4 Simpson’s diversity indices of

Nymphalidae butterflies at study sites

Schultz CB, Russell C and Wynn L. 2008. Restoration,

reintroduction and captive propagation for at-risk

butterflies: a review of British and American

conservation efforts. Israel Journal of Ecology and

Evolution, Special Issue on Butterfly Conservation.

54:41-61.

Veltman K. 2009. How can zoos import and display

butterflies for educational purpose in a sustainable way?

International Zoo Yearbook, 43:124-130

Venkata Ramana SP. 2010. Biodiversity and

conservation of Butterflies in the Eastern Ghats.

The Ecoscan., 4:59-67.

Wynter-Blyth MA. 1957. Butterfly of the Indian region,

The Bombay Natural History Society, Bombay.

Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054 054

Kumar et al.,2012

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