Butterflies of Athgarh Forest Division, Odisha, Eastern India, with notes on some significant records
Статьи
DOI: 10.14258/abs.v5.i3.6593

Butterflies of Athgarh Forest Division, Odisha, Eastern India, with notes on some significant records

Department of Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation, North Orissa University, Odisha, India
Department of Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation, North Orissa University, Odisha, India
Department of Zoology, North Orissa University, Odisha, India
Aranya Foundation, 625/12, Mars Villa, Panchasakha Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
Divisional Forest Office, Athagarh Forest Division, Cuttack, Odisha, India
Athgarh Forest Division butterfly checklist distribution India

Аннотация

The present paper deals with first annotated list of butterflies from Athgarh Forest Division, Odisha, India. 136 species belongs to six families were recorded during January 2015 to September 2015. Notes on some of the significant record of butterflies for the region, were provided along with their distribution. Among the recorded 136 species of butterflies, 14 species are legally protected under Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Introduction

Butterflies occupy vital position in natural ecosystem as their adults are very good pollinators and larvae act as primary herbivores (Choudhury et al., 2012). They directly depend on plants for their entire life span from larval host plant to nectar of flowers and their diversity may serve as a surrogate for plant diversity (Harisha & Hosetti, 2013). Due to their attractive coloured wings and fluttering flight, butterflies always attract the attention of naturalists, researchers, and conservationists. There are about 1501 species of butterflies in Indian subcontinent (Kunte et al.,1999), out of which 150 species have been recorded from Eastern Ghats (Gunathilagaraj et al.,1998), 334 species from Western Ghats (Tiple et al.,2009) and 962 species from North East region (Evans, 1932). In Odisha, first faunistic study on butterfly fauna presented by Taylor & de Niceville (1888). They reported a list of butterflies from Khurda district. Later, Crawford (1921) noted some butterflies from Meghasani hills of Mayurbhanj district and at the same time, Annandale & Dover (1921) published a list on butterflies from the Barkuda Island of Chilka. Afterwards, many noticeable woks on butterflies have been carried out by several workers in different parts of the state (Mandal & Nandi 1984; Mandal & Moulik 1991; Sahu et al. 2006; Sethy et al. 2006; Sethy & Jana 2009; Nair, 2007, 2011; Das & Sahu 2011; Mohapatra et al. 2012; Palei & Rath, 2014; Payra et al. 2016; Paria et al. 2018; Boruah et al. 2019). As there is no literature available on butterfly diversity in Athgarh Forest Division, an attempt was made to strengthen the information on diversity and distribution of butterflies in Odisha through this present study.

2 Department of Zoology, North Orissa University, Odisha, India

3 Aranya Foundation, 625/12, Mars Villa, Panchasakha Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

4 Divisional Forest Office, Athgarh Forest Division , Cuttack, Odisha, India

* Corresponding author E-mail:

1 Department of Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation, North Orissa University, Odisha, India

Arajush Payra 1 , Suraj K. Dash 1 , Udit P. Das 2 , Himanshu S. Palei 3* , Arun K. Mishra 4

Materials and Methods

Athgarh Forest Division situated in Cuttack district comprises of five Ranges i.e. Athgarh, Baramba, Khuntuni, Narasinghpur East and Narasinghpur West over an area of 1510 Km2 (Figure 11 .gi). It is located between latitude 20⁰21′19.2"N to 20⁰40'27.6"N and longitude 85⁰52'0.72" E to 84⁰55'42.8"E. There are 37 Reserve Forests in Athgarh Division. This division is surrounded by Satkosia Tiger Reserve in the West, Cuttack Forest Division and City Forest Division in the East, Chandaka Wild Life Sanctuary, Nayagarh Forest Division and some part of Mahanadi Wildlife Division in the South and Dhenkanal Forest Division in the North. In Athgarh Forest Division, forest types are mainly Peninsular Sal forest, Dry Mixed-deciduous Forest, small patches of Semi-evergreen forest and Scrub forest (Champion & Seth, 1968). The climate condition of the area experiences three distinct seasons: monsoon (July to September), winter (October to February) and summer (March to June). The area receives an average annual rainfall of 1400 mm to 1500 mm and the temperature ranges from 9°C in winter to 42°C in summer.

Figure 1.Location map of study sites in Athgarh Forest Division, Odisha, Eastern India

Five sites were surveyed for the documentation of butterflies in Athgarh Forest Division.

Site 1 - Dhabaleswar Island (20.503°N, 85.805° E, 19 m a.s.l). It is a small island on Mahanadi River, comes under Khuntuni Range of Athgarh Forest Division. The frequently found plant species of this area are Ficusbengalensis, Ficusreligiosa, Cassia siamea, Sizigiumcumuni, Polyalthialongifolia,Azadirachtaindicaetc. Besides the above, the composites of the shrub forest are Lantana camara, Sidaspinosa, Justiciaadhatoda, Calotropisgigantea etc.

Site 2 – Ansupa Lake (20.459°N, 85.602°E, 30 m a.s.l). Ansupa lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes of Odisha spreading over 140 ha, situated at the left bank of Mahanadi River. It is surrounded by undulating plain and isolated hill ranges. The surrounding vegetation of the lake is mainly characterized by Cashew plantation, Agricultural land, patches of bamboo and hilly thorny scrub forest.

Site 3 – Balikiari Reserve Forest (20.552°N, 85.038°E, 233 m a.s.l.). With an area of 5217.87 hectare, this Reserve Forest (RF) is situated in Narsingpur West Range. Small streams flow within this RF mainly in rainy season, but mostly remain dry for rest of the seasons. Mangiferaindica, Shorearobusta, Aegle marmelos, Anogeissuslatifolia, Dalbergialatifolia, Diospyrossp,Azadirachtaindicaare dominated floral components of this region.

Site 4 – Tersing(20.582°N, 85.047°E, 435 m a.s.l.). This is the bordering area between Athgarh Forest Division and Satkosia Tiger Reserve. It lies at an altitude of about 450 m. The dominant trees are mainly Aegle marmelos, Terminalia tomentosa, Shorearobusta, Ficusreligiosa, Diosspyrosmelanoxylon, Syzigiumcumini, Cicussp etc.

Site 5 – Deobhuin Reserve Forest (20.556°N, 85.179°E, 160 m a.s.l.). This reserve forest is situated in Narsingpur East Range with an area of 6082.23 ha. Slow flowing streams, and one waterfall is present within this reserve forest. The vegetation is dominated by Shorearobusta, Xiliaxylocarpa, Terminalia tomentosa, Schleicheraoleosa, Lagerstroemia parviflora etc.

Data Collection and Identification

Butterflies were observed through opportunistic survey from January 2015 to September 2015. During this inventory all possible and suitable habitats of butterflies, like agricultural land, forest trails, streams, waterfall, nectaring plants were surveyed. All observations were mainly carried out between 7.00 am to 11.00 am and 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm. Most of the species were photographed in the field by using Nikon D3200 Camera with Tamron 70-300 mm lens. Coordinates and elevations of study sites were obtained by using Garmine eTrex and Google earth. An entomological net was also used for capturing butterflies, which were released immediately at the spot of capture without any harm. Butterflies were identified using available literature of Evans (1932, 1949), and photographic guidebooks of Haribal (1992) and Kehimkar (2008, 2016) together with website of Indian butterflies (). Scientific names and common names presented according to Kunte et al. (2019), Varshney & Smetacek, (2015).

Results

A total of 136 species of butterflies belonging to six families were recorded in the study area (See Table 1). The most dominant family was Lycaenidae with 41 species (30.15%), followed by Nymphalidae (28.68%, 39 species), Hesperiidae (19.85%, 27 species), Pieridae (11.76%, 16 species), Papilionidae (8.82%, 12 species) and Riodinidae (1 species, 0.74%). Notes on some of the significant records of butterflies were provided below along with their distribution.

Sl.No Family / Scientific Name Common Name Study Sites Figure number
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5
Family Hesperiidae
1 Hasorachromus (Cramer, [1780]) Common Banded Awl + + + 2a
2 Hasoravitta (Butler, 1870) Plain Banded Awl + 2o
3 Badamiaexclamationis (Fabricius, 1775) Brown Awl + + + 2b
4 Celaenorrhinusleucocera (Kollar, [1844]) Common Spotted Flat +
5 Coladeniaindrani (Moore, [1866]) Tricolour Pied Flat + + + 2c
6 Tagiadeslitigiosa Möschler, 1878 Water Snow Flat + + + 2d
7 Tagiadesjapetus (Stoll, [1781]) Common Snow Flat + + + + +
8 Capronaransonnettii (R. Felder, 1868) Golden Angle + + + + 2e
9 Sarangesadasahara (Moore, [1866]) Common Small Flat + + + + 2f
10 Spialiagalba (Fabricius, 1793) Indian Skipper + +
11 Ampittiadioscorides (Fabricius, 1793) Bush Hopper + + + 2g
12 Iambrixsalsala (Moore, [1866]) Chestnut Bob + + + + +
13 Suastusgremius (Fabricius, 1798) Indian Palm Bob + + + +
14 Zographetussatwa de Nicéville, 1884 Purple-and-gold Flitter + 2h
15 Udaspesfolus (Cramer, [1775]) Grass Demon + + + 2i
16 Notocryptacurvifascia (C. & R. Felder, 1862) Restricted Demon + 2j
17 Notocryptaparalysos (Wood-Mason & de Nicéville, 1881) Common Banded Demon + +
18 Hyarotisadrastus (Stoll, [1780]) Tree Flitter +
19 Matapa aria (Moore, [1866]) Common Redeye + + + + +
20 Oriensgoloides (Moore, [1881]) Ceylon Dartlet + + +
21 Potanthus sp. Dart + 2k
22 Telicota sp. Palm Dart + + +
23 Parnara sp. Swift + + + +
24 Pelopidas mathias (Fabricius, 1798) Small Branded Swift + + + + 2n
25 Baorisfarri (Moore, 1878) Paint-brush Swift + + + 2l
26 Halpeporus (Mabille, [1877]) Moore’s Ace + + + 2m
27 Caltoris sp. Swift +
Family Papilionidae
28 Graphiumdoson (C. & R. Felder, 1864) Common Jay + + + + +
29 Graphiumagamemnon (Linnaeus, 1758) Tailed Jay + + + + +
30 Graphiumnomius (Esper, 1799) Spot Swordtail + + + 3a
31 Graphiumantiphates (Cramer, [1775]) Five-bar Swordtail +
32 PapiliopolymnestorCramer, [1775] Blue Mormon + + + + + 3b
33 Papiliocrino Fabricius, 1793 Common Banded Peacock + + + + + 3c
34 Papilionephelus Boisduval, 1836 Yellow Helen + +
35 Papiliopolytes Linnaeus, 1758 Common Mormon + + + + + 3d
36 Papilioclytia Linnaeus, 1758 Common Mime + + + + + 3f, 3g
37 Pachliopta hector (Linnaeus, 1758) Crimson Rose + + 3j
38 Pachlioptaaristolochiae (Fabricius, 1775) Common Rose + + + + 3i
39 Papiliodemoleus Linnaeus, 1758 Lime Butterfly + + + + + 3h
Family Pieridae
40 Belenoisaurota Fabricius, 1793 Pioneer + + 4a
41 Ceporanerissa Fabricius, 1775 Common Gull + + + + + 4b
42 Delias eucharis Drury, 1773 Common Jezebel + + + + +
43 Deliashyparete Linnaeus, 1758 Painted Jezebel + 4c
44 Appiasolferna Swinhoe, 1890 Eastern Striped Albatross + + + +
45 Leptosianina Fabricius, 1793 Psyche + + + + +
46 Ixias marianne (Cramer, [1779]) White Orange-tip + 4d
47 Ixias pyrene (Linnaeus, 1764) Yellow Orange-tip + + +
48 Pareroniahippia Fabricius, 1787 Common Wanderer + + + + + 4e
49 Catopsiliapomona Fabricius, 1775 Lemon Emigrant + + + + + 4f
50 Catopsiliapyranthe Linnaeus, 1758 Mottled Emigrant + + + + +
51 Euremabrigitta Stoll, 1780 Small Grass Yellow + + + + +
52 Euremalaeta Boisduval, 1836 Spotless Grass Yellow + + +
53 Euremablanda Boisduval, 1836 Threespot Grass Yellow + + + + 4i
54 Euremahecabe Linnaeus, 1758 Common Grass Yellow + + + + + 4g
55 Euremaandersonii (Moore, 1886) Onespot Grass Yellow + + + 4h
Family Riodinidae
56 Abisarabifasciata Moore, 1877 Double-banded Judy + + + 5a
Family Lycaenidae
57 Spalgisepeus (Westwood, [1851]) Apefly + +
58 Curetisthetis (Drury, [1773]) Indian Sunbeam + + + +
59 Prosotasnora Felder, 1860 Common Lineblue + + + +
60 Prosotasdubiosa Semper, 1879 Tailless Lineblue + + + + 5c
61 Petrelaea dana (de Nicéville, [1884]) Dingy Lineblue 5b
62 Caletadecidia (Hewitson, 1876) Angled Pierrot + + + 5d
63 Jamidesbochus Stoll, 1782 Dark Cerulean + + + + + 5e
64 Jamidesceleno Cramer, 1775 Common Cerulean + + + + +
65 Catochrysops Strabo (Fabricius, 1793) Forgetmenot + + + + 5f
66 Lampidesboeticus (Linnaeus, 1767) Pea Blue + + + +
67 Leptotesplinius (Fabricius, 1793) Zebra Blue + + + + 5g
68 Castaliusrosimon (Fabricius, 1775) Common Pierrot + + + + +
69 Tarucus sp. Pierrot + + + + 5h
70 Tarucusananda (de Nicéville, [1884]) Dark Pierrot + 5i
71 Zizeeriakarsandra (Moore, 1865) Dark Grass Blue + + + +
72 Pseudozizeeriamaha Kollar, 1844 Pale Grass Blue + + + + +
73 Zizinaotis Fabricius, 1787 Lesser Grass Blue + + + + +
74 Zizulahylax (Fabricius, 1775) Tiny Grass Blue + +
75 Evereslacturnus Godart, 1824 Indian Cupid + + + 5j
76 Neopithecopszalmora Butler, 1870 Quaker + + + + +
77 Megisbamalaya (Horsfield, [1828]) Malayan + + + 5k
78 Acytolepispuspa (Horsfield, [1828]) Common Hedge Blue + + + 5l
79 Euchrysopscnejus (Fabricius, 1798) Gram Blue + + + +
80 Chiladeslajus (Stoll, [1780]) Lime Blue + + + + +
81 Chiladespandava (Horsfield, [1829]) Plains Cupid + + + + +
82 ChiladesparrhasiusFabricius, 1793 Small Cupid + 5m
83 Freyeriaputli (Kollar, [1844]) Grass Jewel + + + +
84 Antheneemolus (Godart, [1824]) Ciliate Blue + + + +
85 Anthenelycaenina (R. Felder, 1868) Pointed Ciliate Blue +
86 Spindasisvulcanus (Fabricius, 1775) Common Silverline + + + + +
87 Spindasissyama (Horsfield, [1829]) Club Silverline + + 5n
88 Spindasislohita (Horsfield, [1829]) Long-banded Silverline + 5o
89 Arhopalaatrax (Hewitson, 1862) Indian Oakblue + + + +
90 Arhopalaamantes Hewitson, 1862 Large Oakblue + + +
91 Amblypodiaanita Hewitson, 1862 Purple Leaf Blue + + + +
92 LoxuraatymnusStoll, 1780 Yamfly + + + + +
93 Chliariaothona(Hewitson, 1865) Orchid Tit + 5p
94 Viracholaisocrates (Fabricius, 1793) Common Guava Blue + + 5q
95 RapalavarunaHorsfield, 1829 Indigo Flash + + 5r
96 Rapalamanea Hewitson, 1863 Slate Flash + + + +
97 Rapalaiarbus (Fabricius, 1787) Indian Red Flash + +
Family Nymphalidae
98 Paranticaaglea Stoll, 1782 Glassy Tiger + + 6a
99 Tirumala limniace Cramer, 1775 Blue Tiger + + + + +
100 Danausgenutia Cramer 1779 Common Tiger + + + + +
101 Danauschrysippus Linnaeus, 1758 Plain Tiger + + + + +
102 Euploea core (Cramer, [1780]) Common Indian Crow + + + + + 6b
103 Melanitisleda Linnaeus, 1758 Common Evening Brown + + + + +
104 Elymniashypermnestra Linnaeus,1763 Common Palmfly + + + + +
105 Lethe europa (Fabricius, 1775) Bamboo Treebrown + + +
106 Lethe rohria Fabricius, 1787 Common Treebrown + 6c
107 Mycalesisperseus Fabricius, 1775 Common Bushbrown + + + + + 6d
108 Orsotriaenamedus Fabricius, 1775 Nigger + +
109 Ypthimahuebneri Kirby, 1871 Common Fourring + + + + +
110 Ariadne ariadne Linnaeus, 1763 Angled Castor + + + + +
111 Ariadne merione Cramer, 1777 Common Castor + +
112 Phalantaphalantha Drury, 1773 Common Leopard + + + + +
113 Vanessa cardui Linnaeus, 1758 Painted Lady + +
114 Junoniahierta Fabricius, 1798 Yellow Pansy + + + +
115 Junoniaorithya Linnaeus, 1758 Blue Pansy + + + +
116 Junonialemonias Linnaeus, 1758 Lemon Pansy + + + + +
117 Junoniaalmana Linnaeus, 1758 Peacock Pansy + + + + +
118 Junoniaatlites Linnaeus, 1763 Grey Pansy + + + + +
119 Junoniaiphita Cramer, 1779 Chocolate Pansy + + + + +
120 Kallimainachus Doyere, 1840 Orange Oakleaf + + +
121 Hypolimnasmisippus (Linnaeus, 1764) Danaid Eggfly + 6e
122 Hypolimnasbolina Linnaeus, 1758 Great Eggfly + + + + +
123 Cyrestisthyodamas Doyère, 1840 Common Map + +
124 Neptishylas Linnaeus, 1758 Common Sailer + + + + +
125 Neptissappho Pallas, 1771 Pallas Sailer + + + 6f, 6g
126 Pantoporiahordonia Stoll, 1790 Common Lascar + + + 6h
127 Athymaperius Linnaeus, 1758 Common Sergeant + + +
128 Moduzaprocris Cramer, 1777 Commander + + + + +
129 Tanaecialepidea Butler, 1868 Grey Count + + + + 6i
130 Symphaedranais (Forster, 1771) Baronet + + + 6j
131 Euthaliaaconthea Cramer, 1777 Baron + + + + 6k
132 Euthalialubentina Cramer, 1777 Gaudy Baron +
133 Polyuraathamas(Drury, [1773]) Common Nawab + + + 6l
134 Charaxes solon Fabricius, 1793 Black Rajah + +
135 Charaxesbernardus Fabricius, 1793 Tawny Rajah +
136 Acraea terpsicore (Linnaeus, 1758) Tawny Coster + + + + +
Table 1.List of the recorded butterflies from Athgarh Forest Division, Odisha, Eastern India

Hasora vitta (Butler, 1870) – Plain Banded Awl ( Hesperiidae ) (Figure 2o)

A single individual was photographed at 11:25 (here and below local time, UTC+05:30) on 04.10.2015 in Deobhuin Reserve forest. This hesprid butterfly was perching under the leaf, at about 2 m height from the ground, along the forest trail. This butterfly ranges from Sikkim to Northeast India; Maharashtra to Goa up to Kerala (Varshney & Smetacek, 2015). From Odisha, previously it was recorded from single locality, Mundasaru in Kandhamal District by Vivek Sarkar on 08.06.2013 (Kunte, 2019). Most recently this species has been reported from Maredumill, and Jalatarangini area of the adjoining state, Andhra Pradesh (Goswami et al., 2018). Apart from the record of Vivek Sarkar from Kandhamal District, no such decisive record of this butterfly is available from Odisha.

Figure 2.Photographs of Hesperidae butterfliesa - Hasora chromus; b - Badamia exclamationis; c - Coladenia indrani; d - Tagiades litigiosa Möschler, 1878; e - Caprona ransonnettii; f - Sarangesa dasahara; g - Ampittia dioscorides; h - Zographetus satwa; i - Udaspes folus; j - Notocrypta curvifascia; k - Potanthus sp.; l - Baoris farri; m - Halpe porus; n - Pelopidas mathias; o - Hasora vitta

Zographetussatwa de Nicéville, 1884 – Purple and Gold Flitter (Hesperiidae) (Figure 2h)

We have recorded this species several times from different places of Balikiari Reserve Forest, during September 2015. On 01.09 we recorded two individuals. First, we spotted it at 11:50, near a stream. It was perching on shrubs at about 1m above the ground. Later it was recorded during 15:05, at about 1km distance from the first place of observation. It was perching on shrubs under dense canopy cover. On 02.09, we have encountered this species twice, Near the Sishupathra dam. This butterfly ranges from Uttarakhand to Northeast India (Varshney & Smetacek, 2015). Previously, from Odisha only single record was available from same locality, i.e., Balikiari Reserve Forest, by Vivek Sarkar during September 2012 (Anonymous, 2019).

Figure 3.Photographs of Papilionidae butterfliesa - Graphium nomius; b - Papilio polymnestor; c - Papilio crino; d - Papilio polytes; f - Papilio clytia (form dissimilis); g - Papilio clytia (form clytia); h - Papilio demoleus; i - Pachliopta aristolochiae; j - Pachliopta hector

Figure 4.Photographs of Pieridae butterfliesa - Belenois aurota; b - Cepora nerissa; c - Delias hyparete; d - Ixias marianne; e - Pareronia hippia; f - Catopsilia pomona; g - Eurema hecabe; h - Eurema andersonii; i - Eurema blanda

Potanthus sp . – Dart ( Hesperiidae ) (Figure 2k)

One individual was photographed near Tersing on 03.09.2015 at 09:35 it was perching on the small shrubs, near the fast-flowing hill stream. Until this date, no record is available of Potanthus sp. from Odisha. Recently the Genus has been reported from adjacent state Andhra Pradesh (Goswami et al., 2018). As Goswami et al. (2018) mentioned, without examination of genitalia species the identification is very difficult in this butterfly group. Further examination of specimen is required to validate the occurrence of this species in Odisha.

Tarucus ananda (de Nicéville , [1884]) – Dark Pierrot ( Lycaenidae ) (Figure 5i)

On 03.09.2015, a single individual of Dark Pierrot Tarucusananda was sighted from Tersing (Site 4) at 11:40. It was puddling on pond side sandy soil, along with other butterflies such as Common Mormon Papiliopolytes, Angled Pierrot Caletadecidia and Common Nawab Polyuraathamas. The distribution of this tiny butterfly is mainly from South-West India to North Maharastra, Sikkim to Arunachal Pradesh, Central Nepal, North East India and Burma to Dawnas (Evans, 1932; Kehimkar, 2008; Varshney & Smetacek, 2015). In Odisha previously Vivek Sarkar recorded it during June 2013 from Balgaon Range of Khordha district (Churi, 2019). Our present record confirms its occurrence in Odisha.

Chliaria othona ( Hewitson , 1865) – Orchid Tit ( Lycaenidae ) (Figure 5p)

Single individual was recoded from Balikiari Reserve Forest, on 05.03.2015, at 11:35. It was puddling on sandy streambed. Place was covered by dense canopy cover. According to Varshney & Smetacek (2015), this species ranges from Uttarakhand to Northeast India, Maharashtra to Karala. In Odisha previously Vivek Sarkar recorded it during June 2013 from Balgaon Range of Khordha district. Most recently, Subhajit Roy records it during June 2019 from Similipal National Park of Mayurbhanj District (Ogale et al., 2019).

Neptissappho Pallas, 1771 – Pallas Sailer (Nymphalidae) (Figure 6Figure 6g)

Figure 5.Photographs of Riodinidae and Lycaenidae butterfliesa -Abisarabifasciata; b - Petrelaea dana; c - Prosotasdubiosa; d - Caletadecidia; e - Jamidesbochus; f - Catochrysops Strabo; g - Leptotesplinius; h - Tarucussp; i - Tarucusananda; j - Evereslacturnus; k - Megisbamalaya; l - Acytolepispuspa; m - Chiladesparrhasius; n -Spindasissyama; o - Spindasislohita; p - Chliariaothona; q - Viracholaisocrates; r -Rapalavaruna

Figure 6.Photographs of Nymphalidae butterfliesa - Paranticaaglea; b - Euploea core; c - Lethe rohria; d - Mycalesisperseus; e - Hypolimnasmisippus ; f - Neptis Sappho (upper side); g - Neptis Sappho (under side); h - Pantoporiahordonia ; i - Tanaecialepidea; j - Symphaedranais; k - Euthaliaaconthea; l - Polyura athamas

Figure 7.Photographs of some butterfly congregationa - Papilio polytes, Graphium doson, Papilio demoleus and Polyura athamas at Deobhuin Reserve Forest feeding on crab carcass and crab carcass mixed water; b - Eurema blanda, Eurema hecabe, Eurema andersonii, Caleta decidia and Castalius rosimon at Deobhin Reserve Forest puddling on forest trail; c - E. andersonii feeding on tree trunk sap; d - Catopsilia pomona, Catopsilia pyranthe and Ixias marianne puddling on mud at Ansupa Lake; e - Prosotas dubiosa, Petrelaea dana, C. decidia, Leptotes plinius, Megisba malaya and Chilades pandava puddling at Balikiari Reserve Forest; f - P. demoleus and C. pomona puddling on mud, near Sishupathra dam of Balikiari Beat

So far, this species has been known to distribute from Indian Himalaya and Northeastern India (Varshney & Smetacek, 2015). Recently, the species has been recorded from Araku Valley and Maredumilli of Andhra Pradesh (Goswami et al., 2018). We spotted two individuals near Tersing on 03.09.2015 at 09:40. As Goswami et al. (2018) mentioned, this species can be differentiated from closely relative N. hylas, by “the veins in under-hindwing is not blackened and, in the forewing not blackened at least till cell” (Evans, 1932). Hence, our present record confirms its occurrence in Odisha for the first time.

Discussion

The dominant occurrence of Lycenidae and Nymphalidae butterflies in the study area might be due to the availability of host plants and nectaring plants (Mimosaceae, Acanthaceae, Poaceae, Malvaceae, Fabaceae), as the habitat association of butterflies can be directly related to the availability of larval host plants, vegetation cover of herbs, shrubs and trees for nectaring (Thomas, 1995; Kunte, 2000).

Among the recorded 136 species, 113 species of butterflies were found from Balikiari Reserve Forest (Site 3), 105 species from Deobhuin Reserve Forest (Site 5), 88 from Ansupa Lake (Site 2), 84 from Tersing (Site 4) and 78 species from Dhabaleswar Island (Site 1). Result of high number of species in Balikiari and Deobhuin Reserve Forest compare to other sites like Tersing and Dhabaleswar Island, may be due to the longer period of surveys rather than true species richness. As site Tersing also endowed with pristine habitats, which can be suitable for many butterfly species those are yet to explore.

Out of 136 species of butterflies, 14 species are legally protected under Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (see Table 2).

WPA Schedule Family Scientific Name
Schedule I Papilionidae Pachliopta hector (Linnaeus, 1758)
Schedule I Lycaenidae Chliariaothona (Hewitson, 1865)
Schedule II Lycaenidae Euchrysopscnejus(Fabricius, 1798)
Schedule II Lycaenidae Lampidesboeticus(Linnaeus, 1767)
Schedule II Lycaenidae RapalavarunaHorsfield, 1829
Schedule II Lycaenidae Spindasislohita(Horsfield, [1829])
Schedule II Nymphalidae Tanaecialepidea Butler, 1868
Schedule II Nymphalidae Hypolimnasmisippus(Linnaeus, 1764)
Schedule IV Hesperiidae Hasoravitta(Butler, 1870)
Schedule IV Hesperiidae Hyarotisadrastus(Stoll, [1780])
Schedule IV Hesperiidae Baorisfarri(Moore, 1878)
Schedule IV Lycaenidae Tarucusananda(de Nicéville, [1884])
Schedule IV Nymphalidae EuthalialubentinaCramer, 1777
Schedule IV Nymphalidae Euploea core (Cramer, [1780])
Table 2.Legally protected butterflies of Athgarh Forest Division under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (WPA).

In Athgarh Forest division various anthropogenic activities (e.g. wood cutting, grazing, logging, looping, herb collection etc.) by local villagers is a matter of concern, which leads to the destruction of suitable habitats of Butterfly fauna around Athgarh Forest Division. Butterflies are very sensitive insects. A little change in environmental condition and habitat alteration can influence their distribution and abundance (Wynter-Blyth, 1957). Therefore, habitat fragmentation, vegetation loss, grazing pressure, human settlement or any other damaging activities are mainly responsible for loss of diversity of both butterflies and plants in the study area must be regulated. Public awareness is also very important to conserve the suitable habitats of these ecologically important invertebrate organisms. However, the present study provides the baseline information of butterfly fauna of Athgarh Forest Division and enriches the butterfly checklist of Odisha. Further studies on Butterfly fauna is very necessary to understand the seasonal variation and population dynamics of butterflies in this precise geographical area.

Acknowledgements

Authors are grateful to Mr. Isaac Kehimkar (Director of INaturewatch Foundation, India), Mr. Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi (Scientist-A, BNHS, India), and Mr. Gaurab Nandi Das for their valuable suggestions during identification. Authors are thankful to the Forest staffs of Athgarh Forest division for their kind assistance during survey period.

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Citation:

Arajush Payra, Suraj K. Dash, Udit P. Das, Himanshu S. Palei, Arun K. Mishra (2019). Butterflies of Athgarh Forest Division, Odisha, Eastern India, with notes on some significant records. ActaBiologicaSibirica, 5 (3), 188-198.

Submitted: 17.07.2019. Accepted: 23.09.2019.

© 2019 by the authors. Submitted for possible open access publication under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).