Species diversity of butterflies in Shimentai Nature Reserve, Guangdong

Abstract

Surveys in Shimentai Nature Reserve from June 1999 to April 2003 recorded 361 species of butterflies, which are classified into 190 genera in 11 families. Among these, endemic Chinese species and nationally endangered species accounted for 14.1% and 12.0%, respectively. The analysis of the coefficient of butterfly communities in the experimental, buffer and core zones of the reserve indicates that the similarity between the experimental and core zones was the lowest among all comparisons. The species and community diversity of the three representative areas was analyzed by using the G F and Shannon-Wiener indices. Both indices from the buffer zone were higher than other areas. The results indicated that the buffer zone is a stopover site for many endangered species, suggesting that the protection of this area is very important for butterfly conservation. The results also suggested that conservation of forests is a key measure for protecting butterflies in Shimentai Nature Reserve, the largest nature reserve of Guangdong Province for tropical and subtropical lowland forests. As the G F index reflects the diversity of higher classification units of the community, it is a very useful diversity index for the analysis of butterfly communities. The combination of the G F index and Shannon Wiener index provides a comprehensive measure to evaluate community diversity.