Butterflies (Lepidoptera) highlight the ecological value of shrubland and grassland mosaics in Cypriot garrigue ecosystems

This study compares the variation of richness, abundance, and diversity of butterfly species for vegetation communities along an elevational gradient and during different seasons in the Priority Region for Conservation of Biodiversity, Sierra Chiquita, located in the northeast of Mexico. We also analyze the influence of environmental variables on the abundance and richness of butterfly species. Seven sampling sites were established based on criteria of vegetation distribution per altitudinal gradient. Sampling was on a monthly basis and carried out in six permanent plots at each site, using an aerial entomological net during November 2015 to October 2016. A total of 38,011 specimens, representing six families and 195 species, were collected. All parameter values showed significant differences across sites, except between thorn forest and gallery forest. Seasonality effect was absent on richness and diversity species; however, for species abundance, the differences between dry season and rainy season were significantly different in each site except for the comparison of thorn forest and gallery forest. The association between the environmental variables and butterfly communities in the elevational gradient was significant, being the dew point, the solar radiation, the canopy leaf area, and the number of flowering plants the most important variables. The present work represents an important contribution of the vegetation communities variation in richness, abundance, and diversity of butterflies in the northeast of Mexico. These results highlight the importance of the conservation of this heterogeneous habitat and establish reference data for the diurnal Lepidoptera fauna of the region.

Understanding and identifying butterfly species in various land uses serves a crucial eco-logical function in protecting biodiversity and improving environmental policy decisions. However, such a study on the diversity of butterflies from different land use types in and around Chebera Churchura Na-tional Park, southwestern Ethiopia, is extremely lacking. Thus, the present study aimed to quantify the species richness and abundance of butterflies in the Chebera Churchura National Park and its surroundings, which are prioritized for their conservation. Data was collected from January 2021 to June 2021 following the line transect method in the three habitat types using a standard insect net. In total, 2118 individuals representing 79 species and 38 genera belonging to five families were recorded. The Nymphalidae were the most dominant butterfly family, accounting for 45 species (57%) of the total butterflies observed, while the Heaspariidae contributed the least. Among the 79 species, 9 were very common, 32 were common, 37 were rare, and 1 was very rare. Based on butterfly species richness and composition, riverine forest had the greatest diversity and abundance with 65 species and 1028 individuals, and the least species composition was recorded in mosaic habitat with 26 species and 350 individuals, and the difference in diversity was significant. The study region was generally found to be rich in the diversity and abundance of butterflies in all three forms of land use. However, the study area is currently becoming an investment hub, and many road development projects are being planned. Ongoing human activities will devastate and harm the richness, abundance, and diversity of butterfly species. As a result, such human-induced activities need to be carefully studied to protect biodiversity.

Within the BiodiverCity project in Malmö (Sweden), green structure elements were implemented aiming to support biodiversity and enhancing amenity in denser parts of the city. In this study, bumblebee and butterfly abundances and species richness were studied in 20 green structure elements in three areas in Malmö. The investigated green structure elements consisted of objects established within the BiodiverCity project and other green structure elements in their surroundings (e.g. road verges, lawns and flowerbeds). Observed bumblebee and butterfly abundances and species richness was generally low. In total, 528 bumblebees of eight species were recorded, with 97% of all bumblebees belonging to two species, Bombus lapidarius and B. terrestris/lucorum. A total of 154 butterflies from 10 species were detected, most commonly Pieris species. There were no significant differences in mean individual or species numbers (bumblebees and butterflies) between green structure elements designed to support biodiversity and conventional ones. Bumblebee species richness and abundance were positively correlated with mean cover of flowering vegetation and mean number of flowering plant species. Butterfly species richness and abundance were positively correlated with mean number of flowering plant species and size of the green structure. Observations of flower visits showed that the two groups of insects had different preferences. The results of this study show that enhancing bumblebee and butterfly diversity and abundances in densely built city areas can be challenging. To support bumblebees and butterflies more successfully, the habitat requirements of these insect groups need to be better considered from the beginning in the design of green structure elements.

In this study we investigate the environmental factors influencing butterfly communities and evaluate the Natura 2000 network’s effectiveness in representing butterfly species richness and abundance, taking as a case study the island of Cyprus. We sampled butterflies and 11 environmental factors in 60 randomly selected sites across four 500-m elevation zones, representing seven habitat types. Rural mosaics and riverine vegetation were the habitats with the highest diversity of butterflies. Within habitats, the number of flower heads was the most important factor favouring butterfly species richness and abundance and endemic butterfly richness, while soil humidity had a positive effect on species richness and abundance. Although the Natura 2000 network succeeds in including the majority of butterfly species and all Cyprian endemics, the transects sampled within the network did not support more butterfly species than those outside it, and were significantly poorer in terms of butterfly abundance and endemic butterfly species richness and abundance. We found a similar pattern for the Habitats Directive priority habitats, which held poorer overall and endemic butterfly communities than the other habitats. The effectiveness of existing protected area networks may need to be reassessed in regions such as the South East Mediterranean, to ensure that regionally important components of biological diversity are adequately protected. To this aim, our results suggest that new European and national policies as well as further inclusion of rural mosaics and riverine habitats in protected area networks are needed for effective butterfly conservation in Cyprus.

Butterflies are among the most effective bioindicators of climate change; however, their diversity in many rural areas of the Central Himalayas remains understudied. This study provides an assessment of butterfly diversity in the foothills of Bhorletar, Madhya Nepal Municipality, Lamjung District, Nepal, within an elevation range of 420-600 m. Conducted between July 2019 and January 2021, the survey involved opportunistic observations and photography of adult butterflies in their natural habitats, with sampling occurring six times each month. The study aimed to investigate the species composition, richness, and abundance of butterflies across the survey period and identify seasonal changes in species composition and richness. A total of 94,009 individuals across 226 species, 129 genera, and six families were documented. During this study, Halpe arcuata Evans, 1937 and Hasora taminatus bhavara Fruhstorfer, 1911 were recorded for the first time in Nepal. Additionally, Halpe filda Evans, 1949 and Ctenoptilum vasava vasava (Moore, [1866]) were recorded for only the second and third times, respectively, in Nepal, following a gap of approximately three decades. The most abundant species was Pieris canidia indica Evans, 1926 (Relative Abundance [RA] 2.55%), followed by Pseudozizeeria maha maha (Kollar, [1844]) (RA 2.13%). Species richness showed an annual bimodal distribution, peaking in April (180 species) and August (161 species), while the lowest richness was observed in January and February, with 68 and 75 species, respectively. Diversity indices included a Shannon-Wiener index of 4.71, Pielou's J index of 0.87, an effective number of species of 111.24, and Margalef's richness index of 19.65, indicating high species diversity with a well-balanced mix of species evenness and richness. This study offers the first peer-reviewed checklist of butterflies from Bhorletar, providing crucial baseline data for future research and conservation efforts, and highlights the remarkable seasonal and species diversity within the region.

A survey was conducted on the species composition, richness and abundance of Papilionoidea (excluding Lycaenidae) butterfly fauna in habitats with various degrees of disturbance and altitudes in tropical forests at Tam Dao National Park, northern Vietnam in 2001. The transect method was used to collect data in the survey. Six transects representing different habitat types at two sites, one site located at a low elevation of 200–250 m a.s.l., and the other located at a high elevation of 950–1000 m a.s.l., were chosen: three transects for each site, with a length of 500 m for each transect. A total of 3594 individuals of 127 species in 240 sets of data were recorded from various habitats. The differences in butterfly composition, species richness, abundance and diversity in different habitat types and altitudes were analyzed. The results showed significant differences of butterfly diversity among the different habitat types and between the low and high altitude sites. The butterfly diversity, species richness and species abundance in the low elevation habitats were higher than in the high elevation habitats. The highest diversity of butterflies occurred in the mixed habitats of agriculture, scrub and clearing lands of high disturbance. However, butterflies most important for conservation are associated with undisturbed or moderately disturbed forests only.

Endemic butterflies on Grande Comore: habitat preferences and conservation priorities

Understanding wild biodiversity of agroecosystems and other human dominated landscapes are crucial for the management and conservation of biological resources. Here, we studied the diversity, abundance, similarity and functionality of butterflies in different human modified ecosystems in southern Sikkim, the Eastern Himalaya. The study was conducted from January 2015 to May 2015 by covering three habitat types namely, farm-based agroforestry, large cardamom-based agroforestry and adjacent natural forest ecosystem. We followed point count method along the transect to collect data on butterflies in the study area. A total of 911 individual butterflies representing six families and 44 species were recorded during the present study in southern Sikkim. Species richness and abundances of butterflies were significantly different among the systems. While diversity and abundance were higher in forest patches, each system harbored unique species assemblages with low similarity between habitats. The information on larval host plants were available for 41 butterfly species which depended on 128 plant species belonging to 27 families. The butterfly community was dominated by oligophagous II (19 species) followed by polyphagous (11 species), monophagous (8 species) and oligophagous I (3 species). Similarly, generalist feeders had higher species and abundance compared to specialist feeders. Specialist species were confined to forest habitat, whereas generalist species were mostly restricted to cultivated systems. The findings of the study highlighted the need for conservation of traditionally managed agroecosystems in order to conserve butterflies and other associated biodiversity.

Botanic gardens, forest reserves and other protected areas are established to conserve biodiversity. The present study was conducted to assess the butterfly diversity in a recently established botanic garden of Sri Lanka, the Seethawaka Wet Zone Botanic Gardens (SWZBG) and Indikadamukalana Forest Reserve (IMFR) adjacent to the garden. Three different habitat types within the botanic gardens, the undisturbed forest habitat within the forest reserve and the buffer zone between the Botanic Gardens and Forest Reserve were investigated for butterflies. Butterfly species richness, diversity, endemic species, family composition in different habitats and effects of habitat parameters on butterfly distribution were assessed. Butterflies were collected from five habitats – grassland, shrub, disturbed forest, undisturbed forest, buffer zone, of the SWZBG and IMFR using transect line method with hand netting and fruit baited traps. Collected butterflies were identified using published field guides. Climate and soil parameters of each habitat were measured using standard methods and equipment. Differences of habitat parameters between habitats were estimated using One-Way Analysis of Variance and Tukey’s Multiple Comparison method and butterfly diversity and evenness in different habitat types were assessed using Shannon-Weiner diversity index. The study revealed seventy-nine butterfly species from SWZBG and IMFR highlighting the importance of the sites for safeguarding and conservation of butterflies. Species richness and diversity of butterflies was highest in the buffer zone and lowest in the grassland habitat. The most common butterfly family in the study sites was family Nymphalidae. Endemic species were high in the forest habitat types. Significant differences were evident in habitat parameters between habitat types indicating their effect on butterfly species richness and diversity. The study revealed SWZBG and IMFR as important areas for butterfly occurrence when compared with similar botanic gardens and forest reserves elsewhere in the world.

Abandoned land management threatens the maintenance of the diversity of flower‐visiting insects and flowering plants. In recent years, cattle grazing on abandoned land has been practiced in Japan to utilize the abandoned land and reduce cattle feed costs. It is important to elucidate the restoration effects that cattle grazing has on the biodiversity of abandoned lands in warm, humid climate regions, such as Japan. However, there are limited case studies that examine the restoration effects on flower‐visiting insects and flowering plants in Japan. In this study, we examined the effects of Tajima cattle grazing on the species richness and abundance of butterflies and flowering plants in abandoned lands in Muraoka‐ku, Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Our results revealed that the vegetation height was lower and species richness and abundance of butterflies and flowering plants was higher in the grazing lands. However, the abandoned lands had a higher vegetation height and significantly lower species richness and abundance of butterfly and flowering plant. Grazing pressure positively and significantly affected the species richness and abundance of butterfly and flowering plant. These results indicate that grazing increased the species richness and abundance of butterfly and flowering plant. There was no significant difference in the species composition between the grazing and abandoned lands, and no significant indicator species were detected in the abandoned lands. We conclude that Tajima cattle grazing systems on abandoned lands can restore the species richness and abundance of butterfly as well as flowering plants.

BackgroundMany species inhabiting Kihansi gorge ecosystem in Southern Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss caused by constructed hydropower plant that diverted over 90% the water off the Kihansi River. Understanding ecological correlates and structure of an animal community in perturbed ecosystems is an important way to enhancing species conservation particularly in this system, where several species are already threatened with extinction. This study assessed influences of local habitat characteristics on the butterfly abundance, species richness and diversity and examined how the butterfly community structures across three structurally heterogeneous habitats in the Kihansi gorge forest. Butterfly abundance data were collected using baited traps and measured environmental variables in the field, where trapping occurred. To understand the diversity and butterfly richness, these parameters were computed under Primer software. Non-metric multidimensional scaling and analysis of community similarity were used to analyse the butterfly community structure. Furthermore, the generalized linear models (GLM) were used to assess how the measured variables explained observed species diversity, abundance, and richness.ResultsIn total, 72 species of butterfly in five families were recorded. Butterfly species diversity and richness did not vary across the habitat types or elevation gradient but showed strong correlation with some habitat characteristics. In addition, there was evidence of butterfly communities structuring into distinct groups that showed greater separation associated with the habitat characteristics they utilise. Furthermore, across the study area, butterfly species diversity increased significantly in high canopy and in trees with smaller DBH and at lower ground cover. Similarly, abundance significantly increased in the woodland and wooded grassland habitats, where there was high canopy and where tree density was high. Furthermore, butterfly species richness was strongly positively associated with high canopy cover and mostly increased in sites closer to water source.ConclusionFirst, this study shows strong positive correlation between the habitat characteristics and butterfly species and community structure, suggesting strongly that maintaining habitat quality should be a priority in conserving the butterfly communities in Kihansi. Second, conservation of environmental disturbance indicator butterfly taxa which are also endemic and rare is worthy of concern under the ongoing human-induced threats in the area. It is appropriate time that the Tanzania government should declare the Kihansi gorge forest among existing protected areas to secure effective conservation of biological diversity in this threatened ecosystem. Third, the ants–butterfly symbionts and their links to the potential lichen depletion are still unclear, and thus future research should explore the trophic cascades of depleting habitat quality on the endemic and rare butterfly species in the Kihansi gorge.

Butterflies are widely studied due to their key ecosystem functions. For this reason, they are used in ecosystem assessment, formulating conservation plans and in raising the environmental awareness. Quantification of different factors affecting diversity of butterflies is important for their effective conservation. In this study, we investigated abiotic and biotic factors affecting species richness and community composition of butterflies along an elevational gradient in Manang region, central Nepal. We also tested if butterfly species follow the Bergmann’s rule. A total of 57 butterfly species belonging to 39 genera and 8 families were recorded in the study area. Out of a total of 127 plant species in identified in the study region, only 67 plant species were visited by butterflies as nectar sources. Species richness of butterflies increased with increasing elevation. Species richness was significantly higher in places with shrubs compared to other places and also in autumn than in summer. Species richness of butterflies also depended on composition of plant species occurring at the localities. Butterfly species composition varied among sampling localities. It was also determined by habitat type, elevation, sampling time, plant species and interactions of elevation × time. The relationship between butterfly size and elevation was in the opposite direction than expected according to the Bergmann’s rule. In conclusion, protection of butterfly diversity can only be achieved by protecting different habitats across the diverse physiography of the region and different plant species, in particular herbs and shrubs. Our results do not support the Bergmann’s rule for butterflies along an elevational gradient in our region.

1. The patterns of arthropod diversity were investigated in 24 montane wetlands in Switzerland. These differed in altitude, management regime (cattle‐grazing vs. mowing), vegetation structure (index combining vegetation height and density) and degree of habitat fragmentation. 2. The general arthropod diversity was determined by net sampling at 10 sampling points per site. The diversity of grasshoppers and butterflies was measured by counting species richness at the site and species density (species richness per unit area) on transects. The species richness of grasshoppers and butterflies was found to be more sensitive to the geographical attributes of the site whereas species density was more affected by the habitat quality. 3. Grasshopper diversity decreased within the observed altitudinal range (800–1400 m) and was higher at grazed sites, whereas butterfly diversity was higher at mown sites. Arthropod diversity but not abundance of arthropods was positively related to the vegetation structure. 4. The species richness of butterflies was negatively influenced by the degree of habitat fragmentation: both the size of habitat as well as the area of wetland habitats within 4 km were related positively to the number of specialist wetland butterflies. 5. Late mowing as well as low‐density cattle‐grazing are appropriate management actions to maintain arthropod diversity in montane wetlands. In order to establish site‐specific management plans, the biology of the present target species as well as the historical context should be considered. 6. We suggest that the best protection for the species examined in this study would be a network of wetland sites managed using a variety of traditional, non‐intensive methods. This can only be achieved by coordinated planning of conservation measures among sites.

Calcareous grasslands and orchard meadows are among the most species-rich semi-natural habitats in Europe, but they are severely threatened by intensified land use and abandonment. Here, we focus on the effects of management vs. abandonment of these grasslands in agricultural vs. forest-dominated landscapes of Germany. We recorded butterflies and birds and classified them in farmland and woodland species according to their habitat preferences. Species richness and abundance of farmland butterflies were higher on calcareous grasslands than orchard meadows and benefited from forested landscapes in case of orchard meadows. Species richness of woodland butterflies was higher on abandoned than managed grasslands, independent of habitat type and landscape context. Richness and abundance of farmland birds benefited from managed orchard meadows, and were more abundant in agricultural landscapes. On calcareous grasslands, however, the abandonment led to higher richness and abundance of farmland birds. Woodland birds exhibited higher species richness in abandoned than managed grasslands, especially in orchard meadows. Woodland birds and butterflies appeared to be less affected by habitat type, management or landscape context than farmland species. Calcareous grasslands were much more important for butterfly diversity than orchard meadows, but suitability of orchards for butterflies was improved when embedded in forested landscapes. In contrast to butterflies, bird diversity benefited more from orchard meadows than calcareous grasslands, which had higher diversity when management was abandoned. In conclusion, landscape context can shape communities in these two grassland habitat types, so conservation management should consider reserves in both agricultural and forested landscapes and thereby, diversify regional biota.

The joint effect of forest edge (FE) heterogeneity and management intensity of the adjacent farmland on FE insect communities is still poorly understood. In this study, a pairwise design was established, consisting of 36 Western European lowland FEs, with each of the 18 FE pairs containing one improved and one nearby non-improved FE. Half of the FE pairs were situated along extensively used and half along intensively used meadows, leading to gradual contrast patterns. Butterflies were selected as the survey group because they contain widely recognized flagship species and are meaningful indicators of landscape quality and resource availability. The main outcomes were as follows: (i) FE improvements led to higher overall FE heterogeneity scores, calculated on the basis of 16 floristic and structural indicator values. (ii) Overall butterfly species richness and butterfly abundance both benefited from higher FE heterogeneity. (iii) Butterfly species richness was higher on improved FEs, irrespective of adjacent meadows’ use intensity. (iv) Butterfly abundance was higher on improved FEs, mainly due to high contrast situations between improved FEs and adjacent intensively used meadows. (v) FE improvements resulted in higher butterfly indicator species richness and abundance. The strategy of the canton of Aargau in Switzerland, where this study was conducted, to ecologically improve around 200 km of additional FEs in the longer term is believed to further promote butterfly diversity in the transition zone between closed forest and open landscape.