Butterflies of Silent Valley National Park and its environs, Western Ghats of Kerala, India

Abstract

The butterfly fauna of Silent Valley National Park (SVNP) and its buffer zone in Kerala is discussed. Of the 335 species listed from the Western Ghats (WG) and 326 from Kerala, 269 species were recorded from inside the boundaries of the core of SVNP, while an additional 21 species were confirmed from its buffer zone making a total of 290 species as an aggregate for SVNP and its environs. This included 19 species of Papilionidae, 26 Pieridae, 85 Nymphalidae, one Riodinidae, 82 Lycaenidae, and 77 Hesperiidae. Thirty-one species were strictly endemic to the Western Ghats and 63 species were listed in schedules of WPA 1972, and 19 species were in the IUCN Red Lists. The region harbours 89% of all butterflies of Kerala (326 species), and 87% of those seen in the Western Ghats (335 species). About 11% of butterfly fauna of SVNP is endemic to the Western Ghats. Silent Valley and adjoining regions have 86% of all IUCN Red listed species listed for Kerala and the WG. The region also holds 91% of the species listed under WPA known from Kerala and 90% of those listed from WG. Thus, SVNP and its environs are one of the richest regions with respect to butterflies.