Abstract
Butterflies are creatures of nature with great economic importance as pollinators and bio-indicators. This study provides checklist of butterfly species present in Zoological and Botanical gardens of University of Nigeria, Nsukka and was conducted for three Months. Butterflies were sampled twice a week between 7.00 -10.00am from May to July 2019; using sweep net along existing transects within the gardens. Non-invasive method was adopted, butterflies were captured, photographed and released. Photographed samples were identified to species level by cross matching with relevant keys. A total of 91 butterflies belonging to 16 species, 10 genera and 3 families were sampled. Alpha diversity test showed a significant difference (p<0.05) in terms of Relative Abundance, Diversity and Dominance of butterfly species between the two gardens. The Botanical garden had Relative Abundance of 63.73%, Dominance of 0.23 which was higher compared to Zoological garden which had 36.16% and 0.10; but these was contrary to species diversity where Zoological garden was more diverse (H1=2.48) than botanical garden (H1=1.82). The differences observed could be attributed to variations in vegetation composition.
Highlights
Butterflies are creature of nature with great economic importance as efficient pollinators and bio-indicators of the environment (Farzana and Fatima, 2013)
Species compositions and Relative Abundance of Butterflies sampled between the two gardens
The Botanical garden has 58 individuals belonging to 10 species, 7 genera and 3 families while Zoological garden has 33 individuals belonging to 13 species, 10 genera and 3 families (Table 2)
Summary
Butterflies are creature of nature with great economic importance as efficient pollinators and bio-indicators of the environment (Farzana and Fatima, 2013). They are one of the most taxonomically studied group of diurnal flying insects and belongs to the second largest order Lepidoptera of the phylum arthropod (Yarger et al, 2016). Of butterflies distributed across the globe with about 80% found in the tropics (Larson et al, 2001) As pollinators, they increase plants diversity, crop production, seeds and fruits; they indirectly sustain the survival of other flora and fauna in the ecosystem (Maheshwari, 2003). This work provided a checklist of butterfly species present in the study area
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