Butterfly diversity in heterogeneous habitat of Bankura, West Bengal, India

Butterfly diversity was observed in different habitats of Bankura District, West Bengal, India. This district is located at the junction of Chotanagpur plateau and Gangetic plain; it contains a variety of transitional habitats. We found 117 butterfly species from our covered survey area. The highest species recorded in the present study belonged to family Lycaenidae (30.76%) and Nymphalidae (29.91%) followed by Hesperiidae (16.23%), Pieridae (13.67%), Papilionidae (8.54%), and Riodinidae (0.85%), respectively. Based on sighting we found that 12.82% of all the butterflies recorded were abundant in nature while 21.36% were very common, 41.88% were frequent, and 23.93% were rare. Cluster analysis and other diversity indices gives us an overall idea about environmental health. The pattern of diversity change from plain to plateau gradient gives important insight about ecological edge effect. High species number in relation with low individual numbers were found in forest habitat. This preliminary study showed that heterogeneous habitats could harbour many butterflies and need proper conservation efforts to sustain it.

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Butterfly diversity throughout Midnapore urban area in West Bengal, India

Journal of Threatened Taxa ◽

10.11609/jott.4587.11.14.14816-14826 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (14) ◽

pp. 14816-14826

Author(s):

Surjyo Jyoti Biswas ◽

Debarun Patra ◽

Soumyajit Roy ◽

Santosh Kumar Giri ◽

Suman Pal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Functioning ◽

Total Population ◽

West Bengal ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Diversity Indices ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

Butterfly Diversity ◽

Butterfly Community ◽

Butterfly Communities ◽

High Diversity

Butterflies have always attracted attention due to their unique colourations. As most butterflies are highly specific in their niche utilisation, abundance of the species in a locality may advocate status of ecosystem functioning and environmental health. In recent times, different anthropogenic activities and unscientific management of nature have resulted in a decline of butterfly communities at a rapid rate. The objective of the present study is to study butterfly diversity in and around Midnapore Town, West Bengal, India. A total of 82 butterfly species belonging to six families were recorded during the two years of the study period. Of the six families Nymphalidae is the most abundant family comprising 42.54% of the total population followed by Lycaenidae (22.5%), Pieridae (19.03%), Papilionidae (8.58%), Hesperiidae (7.24%), and Riodinidae (0.11%). Different diversity indices, Lorenz curve, Whittaker plot, and Gini index show high diversity in the butterfly community structure. As Midnapore Town is the connecting area between the plains of Bengal and Chota Nagpur Plateau, the present study may be the baseline for further ecological, environmental, and conservation studies.

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Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) diversity in relation to habitat utilization at Jagannath Kishore College, Purulia, West Bengal (India)

Journal of Insect Biodiversity ◽

10.12976/jib/2018.07.1.1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

DIPANWITA DAS

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Ecosystem Management ◽

West Bengal ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

Butterfly Diversity ◽

Tridax Procumbens ◽

Eurema Hecabe ◽

Purulia District ◽

One Year

Documentation of butterfly diversity is necessary for ecosystem management both at the local and the global scales. The varied types of functional role of the butterflies qualify them for conservation and thus sustenance of the ecosystem services. Information about the biodiversity of Purulia district as well as arid regions of Chota Nagpur Plateau is insufficient and this necessitates to investigate about the butterfly diversity of Purulia which will provide subsequent information for ecosystem management. On the basis of this proposition, the present study was carried out in the campus of Jagannath Kishore College, Purulia, West Bengal (India). The species richness, species diversity, seasonal variation and habitat utilisation by the butterflies were studied for a period of one year between February 2016 and January 2017 with photographic documentation. A total of seventy-one butterfly species under five families were encountered, of which, the family Nymphalidae represented highest number of species. The butterfly species richness was lower in summer probably due to the scarcity of water, but during monsoon and post-monsoon seasons water availabitity boost up the vegetation and therefore species richness increased to its maximum. Among the different species, Eurema hecabe was the most abundant species throughout the year followed by Leptosia nina, Danaus chrysippus and Catopsilia pomona. In the study area, thirty-one species of herbs and shrubs were identified as nectaring plants for adult butterflies. Among them, Tridax procumbens, Lantana camara, Alternanthera sessilis and Tagetes sp. were recognized as the preferred nectaring plants based on the number of butterflies visiting them. As an effort for conservation of the butterflies, the information on the plants and the species avaialble in the concerned region may be used further. However, long term monitoring of the concerned region is recommended to understand the changes in the environmental quality as reflected through the variations in the butterfly species assemblages.

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Butterfly fauna of Baghmundi, Purulia, West Bengal, India: a preliminary checklist

Journal of Threatened Taxa ◽

10.11609/jott.2841.9.5.10198-10207 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 10198

Author(s):

Supriya Samanta ◽

Dipanwita Das ◽

Sudipta Mandal

Keyword(s):

West Bengal ◽

Local People ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

First Report ◽

Butterfly Diversity ◽

Photographic Documentation ◽

Butterfly Fauna ◽

Purulia District ◽

Total Species

The butterfly diversity of Baghmundi, Purulia District (22.600–23.500N & 85.750–86.650E), West Bengal, India was studied from January 2014 to December 2015 with photographic documentation. A total of 54 butterfly species were recorded representing 39 genera in six families. Nymphalidae was the most dominant family with 46.3% of the total species. As this is the first report of butterfly diversity from this region, the present study may help in planning conservation strategies and generate awareness among the local people and government authorities to save wildlife and their habitats.

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Butterflies (Lepidoptera - Rhopalocera) of coastal areas of Southern West Bengal, India

TAP CHI SINH HOC ◽

10.15625/0866-7160/v39n3.9243 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 276-290

Author(s):

Arajush Payra

Keyword(s):

West Bengal ◽

Detailed Comparison ◽

Coastal Areas ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

Wildlife Protection ◽

Butterfly Diversity ◽

First Time

The present study was carried out to prepare a checklist of butterflies in the Coastal areas of Purba Medinipur District of southern West Bengal between January 2014 and February 2016. A total of 112 butterfly species belonging to 74 genera under 14 subfamilies and five families were recorded during the study period. Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae were the most dominant family, whereas Papilionidae was the least dominant family. Among 112 butterfly species recorded, 9 species were legally protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. A total of 59 species were newly recorded in the study area. Suastus minuta Moore, 1877 was recorded for the first time in West Bengal. The present results also provide a detailed comparison of butterfly diversity among different studies conducted in southern West Bengal. Citation: Payra A., Mishra R. K., Mondal K., 2017. Butterflies (Lepidoptera - Rhopalocera) of coastal areas of Southern West Bengal, India. Tap chi Sinh hoc, 39(3): 276-390. DOI: 10.15625/0866-7160/v39n3.9243. Received 21 February 2017, accepted 10 March 2017 *Corresponding author: [email protected]

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Butterfly diversity and abundance with reference to habitat heterogeneity in and around Neora Valley National Park, West Bengal, India

Our Nature ◽

10.3126/on.v10i1.7751 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 53-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Utpal Singha Roy ◽

Mayukh Mukherjee ◽

S. K. Mukhopadhyay

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

West Bengal ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Negative Influence ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

Forest Edges ◽

Natural Habitats ◽

Butterfly Diversity ◽

Closed Canopy ◽

Anthropogenic Intervention

Butterfly diversity in and around Neora Valley National Park (NVNP), West Bengal, India was studied from three different habitat types that included thick vegetation assemblage with closed canopy cover, edges of forest and areas of human intervention during April – May 2010. A total of 30 butterfly species belonging to the families of Hespeririidae (3.33%), Papilionidae (16.65%), Pieriidae (13.32%), Nymphalidae (53.28%) and Lycaenidae (13.32%) were identified in the present investigation. Highest butterfly diversity and abundance was recorded from areas of forest edges (54.83% of individuals represented by 16 different species), while dense forest (30.64 % of individuals represented by 11 different species) and areas with human habitats (14.52 % of individuals represented by 8 different species) showed lower butterfly diversity and abundance. Accordingly highest Shannon Weiner diversity score of 2.32 was recorded from areas of forest edges. The butterflies that showed high occurrences were Indian Tortoise Shell (Aglais cashmiriensis), Yellow Coster (Acraea issoria) and Himalayan Five Ring (Ypthima sakra). Only 1 butterfly species, Yellow Coster (A. issoria) was found to co-occur in all the three sites. Accelerating human civilizations has lead to destruction of much of the global natural habitats while it has often been found to exert adverse effects on biodiversity. Findings made during this study also indicate negative influence of anthropogenic intervention on overall butterfly diversity from the present location.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/on.v10i1.7751

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The Mid-Winter Assemblage And Diversity Of Bird Populations At Patlakhawa Protected Forest, Coochbehar, West Bengal, India

Ring ◽

10.2478/ring-2013-0002 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 31-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Asitava Chatterjee ◽

Shuvadip Adhikari ◽

Anandamay Barik ◽

Subhra Kumar Mukhopadhyay

Keyword(s):

West Bengal ◽

Bird Species ◽

Diversity Indices ◽

Point Of View ◽

Species Number ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Swamp Forest ◽

Bird Populations ◽

Niche Diversity ◽

Habitat Fidelity

ABSTRACT We compared avian community structure of six contrasting habitat types at Patlakhawa Protected Forest of Dooars of West Bengal. During three weeks of the mid-winter studies 154 bird species representing 41 families were recorded. Of the 154 recorded species, 22 were observed in grasslands, 22 in swamp forest, 46 in riverine forest, 52 at miscellaneous plantation areas, 43 at forest edges and 51 at wetlands. The Shannon-Wiener general diversity indices varied among the habitats and ranged from 2.323 to 3.458. Richness (5.813-11.410), evenness (0.406-0.641) and dominance (0.042-0.128) indices also varied considerably among the study locations. The highest diversity, the lowest dominance and a very high evenness were characteristics of miscellaneous plantations. Grasslands showed highest evenness and considerably high species diversity. The lowest avian evenness and diversity were recorded in wetlands and swamp forests. Insectivorous birds were most numerous (53), followed by carnivorous (40), omnivorous (29) and frugivorous (15) birds. Winter appeared to be the best time for niche occupancy at the Himalayan foothills for assemblages of either winter migrants and visitors or altitudinal and passage migrants, as about 30% of all encountered species were migrants. 96 bird species were observed to occur at any one of these habitat types showing high habitat fidelity. Mixed avian foraging assemblages that varied in species number and compositions were observed and they contain 11 to 17 species. Avifaunal niche diversity and richness in different habitats of Patlakhawa Protected Forest during mid-winter envisaged its importance from conservation point of view.

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An appraisal of geohydrological status and assessment of groundwater quality of Indpur Block, Bankura District, West Bengal, India

Applied Water Science ◽

10.1007/s13201-021-01389-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Moumita Palmajumder ◽

Susanta Chaudhuri ◽

Vikas K. Das ◽

Sisir K. Nag

Keyword(s):

West Bengal ◽

Chemical Characterization ◽

The State ◽

Subsurface Water ◽

Current Status ◽

Total Hardness ◽

Estimation Of Parameters ◽

Drainage Pattern ◽

Magnesium Adsorption Ratio ◽

Bankura District

AbstractThe present work aimed to evaluate the overall hydro-geological status of Indpur block, Bankura district, West Bengal, India. Despite of having adequate annual precipitation, south-western districts of the state of West Bengal, India, are considered to be a significantly water-stressed area of the state. This is because of unfavorable geological setting near to subsurface occurrence of impervious lithology and inundated nature of surface drainage pattern. The study was carried out both in pre- and post-monsoon seasons of 2019 to obtain an updated current status on concentration and spatiotemporal fluctuations of controlling ions of the subsurface water. Estimation of major physicochemical parameters and specific qualitative chemical characterization of groundwater were rated through field and laboratory studies. Water samples were collected from twenty-two equidistantly scattered tube wells in the block. Seasonal variations of water table elevation heads and subsurface shift of predominant recharge zones of the block were also demarked. Drinking, domestic and irrigation suitability of the block water were measured by the estimation of parameters such as Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Magnesium Adsorption Ratio (MAR), Soluble Sodium Percentage (SSP), Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC), Permeability Index (PI), Total Hardness (TH) and Kelly’s ratio (KR) and piper trilinear plots. Sustainable non-availability of groundwater seems to be the major problem of the studied area, which intern resulted in overexploitation, mostly for cultivation practices causing considerable depletion of its suitability as drinking and irrigation. Further, results show that suitability of the water both for domestic and irrigation of the studied area may be termed as ‘good’ to ‘moderate’ with a few exceptions on a local scale. Judging by every parameter, it can be stated that groundwater of Indpur block is not much suitable for drinking purposes.

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