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Biodiversity and conservation strategies of Nymphalidae Butterflies in the
hill regions of Eastern Ghats of Southern Andhra Pradesh
Keywords:
Biodiversity, Nymphalidae, Eastern Ghats, Simpsons diversity indices.
ABSTRACT:

Nymphalidae butterflies have a number of subfamilies, including the species
such as Browns, Milkweeds, Heliconians and Beaks. These vary greatly in appearance
ranging from small to large, with mostly in medium size. Some among these
butterflies are powerful fliers (Nawabs and Rajahs) or migrants (Painted lady,
Milkweed butterflies) while Bush browns (Mycalesis visala, Melanitis leda
and Elymnias hypermnestra) and Rings (Ypthima baldus, Ypthima chenui and
Ypthima philomela) are weak fliers. Three study sites i.e., Lankamalai of Kadapa
district, Talakona and Tirumala Hills of Chittoor district of Eastern Ghats of Southern
Andhra Pradesh were chosen. Captive breeding method has been adopted for
restocking the population. Nearly 26 Nymphalidae species were identified from
6 sub families. Species diversity was calculated by using Simpsons diversity indices
along with the seasonality and population index, richness and evenness of the species
were also discussed.
048-054 | JRAS | 2012 | Vol 1 | No 2
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Authors:
Prasanna Kumar V,
Harinath P and
Venkata Ramana SP.





Institution:
Department of Zoology,
Yogi Vemana University,
Kadapa.








Corresponding author:
Venkata Ramana SP.










Web Address:
http://janimalsciences.com/
documents/AS0016.pdf

Dates:
Received: 01 Sep 2012 Accepted: 26 Oct 2012 Published: 24 Nov 2012
Article Citation:
Prasanna Kumar V, Harinath P and Venkata Ramana SP.
Biodiversity and conservation strategies of Nymphalidae Butterflies in the hill regions
of Eastern Ghats of Southern Andhra Pradesh.
Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054
Journal of Research in Animal Sciences
An International Online Open Access Publication group
Original Research


INTRODUCTION
From the time immemorial butterflies have
always fascinated humankind. They are certainly the
most popular and best-known group. In India, rainfall is
one of the major climatic factors that govern diversity
and abundance of butterfly fauna. In the Eastern Ghats of
Southern Andhra Pradesh, the hot spots for butterfly
diversity receiving the heaviest rainfall during the
southwest monsoon-starts in the last week of
May and ends at December. Vegetation in the study area
is of deciduous forests with patches of moist deciduous
and evergreen to semi evergreen forests
(Prasanna kumar et al, 2011). Eastern Ghats of Southern
Andhra Pradesh is a less researched area where much
information about butterfly species is unavailable
(Venkataramana, 2010). The butterflies are an essential
part of the any natural ecosystem that plays a dual role as
pollinators and energy transferors. It was encouraging
that butterflies are now being included in the biodiversity
studies and biodiversity conservation prioritization
programme (Murugesan and Muthusamy 2011).
Nymphalidae is the largest families of butterflies with
around 6000 species occurring worldwide, in India 521
species are present (Kehimkar, 2008). In the past few
decades, butterfly populations in India have declined
(Grewal,1996) and it is often suggested that captive
rearing / breeding and releasing of butterflies in the
wild will help restock at-risk populations and serve as a
means of conservation (Nicholls and Pullin, 2000;
Mathew, 2001; Crone et al, 2007; Schultz et al, 2008).
Currently, the awareness on butterfly rearing has
increased to a large extent globally. Conservation
organizations across North America, including
accredited zoos and aquariums, are engaged in the
captive rearing and reintroduction of endangered
butterflies, protection of endangered butterfly habitat,
and are conducting research about their unique habitat
needs (http://www.butterflyrecovery.org/recovery/).
The basic protocol of captive propagation is to collect
eggs from wild-mated female, rear larvae to adult
butterflies in captive propagation facilities, and release
adults/pupae back into wild populations (Crone et al,
2007). The present study describes the diversity of
species and their distribution. We also provide
information regarding the abundance of species along
with seasonality to take up necessary steps for their
conservation.
Study area
The Lankamalai hills (1445'-1472' N and
7907'-7880' E) of the Eastern Ghats selected for the
present study has normal rain fall of 700 mm and varies
from 400+ to 800+ mm. The maximum temperature
varies from 33-43
o
C. The places are known for its good
climate and consist of variety of butterfly host plants.
The Talakona region has many waterfalls (134842 N,
791256 E) even with 270 feet (82 m) height, and it
was the highest waterfall in Andhra Pradesh. Talakona
was declared as Bio-Sphere Reserve during 1989-90
because of wide variety of plant and animal species
present in the region. Talakona hills are geographically
considered as a part of Eastern Ghats. Tirumala
(134059 N, 792049 E) is a hill town in the Chittoor
district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Tirumala Hill is of
3,200 feet (980 m) above sea level, and the town covers
an area of approximately 10.33 square miles (26.8 km
2
).
049 Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054
Kumar et al.,2012
Fig 1 Study sites where diversity of the
Nymphalidae was recorded
In the area covered, these are seven peaks from the
Seshachalam range, a part of Eastern Ghats enriched
with medicinal herbs and shrubs and enjoying wide
range of Nymphalidae butterflies.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Preliminary survey was conducted to identify
areas with large population of butterflies. Three locations
were selected which were visited thrice in a month from
August 2011 to September 2012. Data on butterfly fauna
its abundance and seasonality were based on observation
from 0700 to 1100 h and 1400 to 1600 h, photographic
documentation was done. The butterflies were initially
identified in the field condition and unidentified
butterflies were collected using nylon nets and were
identified using the keys of Kehimkar (2008) and
Wynter-Blyth (1957). The larvae of certain rare and
very rare butterflies were collected along with host plant
leaves in the petri plates and their life cycle was studied
in the captive breeding conditions in the laboratory and a
few in the Butterfly Park. The diversity of Nymphalids
(richness and evenness of the species) was calculated
using Simpsons diversity indices
D= (n /N)
2
n= the total number of organisms of a particular species:
N= the total number of organisms of all species
(The values will be between 0 and 1. The value D is
subtracted from 1. Greater the value greater the diversity)

Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054 050
Kumar et al.,2012
Table 1 Butterfly fauna, relative abundance and seasonality in study
sites from August 2011 to September 2012
*very rare **rare ***less common ****common *****very common
Scientific Name Common Name Season by months Relative Abundance
Subfamily: Danainae
1. Danaus chrysippus Plain tiger 1-12 * * * * *
2. D. plexippus Monarch 3-10 *
3. D. genutia Striped tiger 1-12 ****
4. Tirumala limniace Blue tiger 10-4 * * * *
5. Euploea core Common crow 1-12 * * * *
Subfamily : Satyrinae
6. Elymnias hypermnestra Common palm fly 9-3 *
7. Erites falcipennis Common Cyclops 9-3 *
8. Melanitis leda Common evening 9-5 * * * *
9. Mycalesis visala Long brand brush brown 1-3 *
Subfamily :Biblidinae
10. Ariadne merione Common castor 1-12 * * * *
11. Byblia ilithyia The Joker 3-7 * *
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
12. Hypolimnas bolina Great egg fly 6-10 * * * *
13. H. misippus Danaid egg fly 7-3 * * * *
14. Junonia almana Peacock pansy 7-12 * * * *
15. J. hierta Yellow pansy 6-12 * * *
16. J. lemonias Lemon pansy 1-12 * * * * *
17. J. orithyia Blue pansy 7-12 * * *
18. J. iphita Chocolate pansy 6-12 * * *
19. Vanessa indica Indian red admiral 4-5 *
Subfamily:Heliconiinae
20. Acraea terpsicore Tawny coster 1-12 * * * * *
21. Phalanta phalantha Common leopard 1-12 * * * *
22. Vindula erota Cruiser 9-11 *
23. Cupha erymanthis Rustic 1-11 ****
Subfamily:Limenitinae
24. Neptis hylas Common sailer 10-4 * * *
25. Euthalia telchinia Blue baron 5-8 *
26. Euthalia nais The baronet 6-10 * * * *


RESULTS
A detailed study of Nymphalidae butterflies was
conducted from August 2011 to September 2012. The
current study was taken up to study the species richness
and evenness and diversity of species. The steeper slopes
of Eastern Ghats have dense forests benefited from
the North east monsoon. Nearly 26 Nymphalidae
species were identified from 6 sub families (Plate 1).
Nymphalidae has a number of subfamilies, including the
butterfly species such as Browns, Milkweeds,
Heliconians and Beaks. These vary greatly in appearance
ranging from small to large, with most being of medium
size. Some among these butterflies are powerful fliers
(Nawabs and Rajahs) or migrants (Painted lady,
Milkweeds) while Bush browns and Rings are weak
fliers. Milkweed butterflies, being conspicuous and
common, are well known. Among milkweeds, crows and
tigers are known to migrate and roost together in
large numbers in sheltered woodlots during winter
and summer. Hill-topping, Gully bottoming and
Mudpuddling behavior were noticed in the study sites
(Fig 1). In the present study nearly 26 Nymphalidae
051 Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054
Kumar et al.,2012
A E
B F
C
G
D H
I M
J N
K O
L
P
Plate 1 Nymphalidae Butterflies
A. Phalanta phalantha E. Hypolimnas misippus (male) I. Hypolimnas misippus(female) M. Neptis hyla
B. Acraea violae F. Junonia almana J. Danaus chrysippus N. Danaus genutia
C. Hypolimnas bolina G. Junonia hierta K. Euploea core O. Ariadne merione
D. Junonia lemonias H. Junonia orithiya L. Tirumala limniace P. Byblia ilithyia
species were recorded (Table 1) and their abundance at
different sites and distribution (Table 2 and Table 3)
at each study site was recorded. The Nymphalinae
subfamily recorded more species, most of which are
called as pansy and also exhibit sexual dimorphism. Rare
and very rare species were also identified during the
study. Diversity in all the study sites was calculated
using Simpsons diversity index (Table 4).

DISCUSSION
Due to topographical, vegetation changes and
availability of the host plants at the study sites the
distribution of species and availability of the species
differed a lot. The richness and evenness of the species
varied in all the study sites. The Talakona region
recorded the highest number of species when compared
to the Tirumala and Lankamalai study sites. There was
lot of unevenness of the species within each study site.
The diversity of species depends on factors
like topography and climate of the region; they are
the effective indicators of climate and environment
(Asher et al, 2001). Though there are migrants, richness
of butterfly species is greater on Talakona hills than the
other two regions due to much availability of host plants.
Danaus plexippus, Euthalia telchinia, Erites falcipennis,
Elymnias hypermnest ra, Mycalesi s visala,
Vindula erota and Vanessa indica are the seven very rare
species recorded in all the study sites out of which six
Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054 052
Kumar et al.,2012
Scientific Name Lankamalai hills Talakona hills Tirumala hills
Subfamily: Danainae
1. Danaus chrysippus + + +
2. D. plexippus - + +
3. D. genutia + + +
4. Tirumala limniace + + +
5. Euploea core + + +
Subfamily : Satyrinae
6. Elymnias hypermnestra + + +
7. Erites falcipennis - + -
8. Melanitis leda + + +
9. Mycalesis visala - + -
Subfamily :Biblidinae
10. Ariadne merione + + +
11. Byblia ilithyia + + +
Subfamily: Nymphalinae
12. Hypolimnas bolina + + +
13. H. misippus + + +
14. Junonia almana + + +
15. J. hierta + + +
16. J. lemonias + + +
17. J. orithyia + + +
18. J. iphita + + +
19. Vanessa indica - - +
Subfamily:Heliconiinae
20. Acraea terpsicore + + +
21. Phalanta phalantha + + +
22. Vindula erota - + -
23. Cupha erymanthis - + -
Subfamily:Limenitinae
24. Neptis hylas + + +
25. Euthalia telchinia - + -
26. E. nais - + +
TOTAL 18 25 21
Table 2 Distribution of Butterfly population at different study sites during
August 2011 to September 2012
very rare species were recorded in the Talakona region,
three in Tirumala region and a single species
Elymnias hypermnestra was recorded in the Lankamalai
region. When compared to the other two sites though the
species abundance was less in Lankamalai study site but
has greater species diversity. The eggs, larvae, pupae of
rare and very rare species were collected along with the
host plant leaves and were reared in the butterfly
laboratory and a few in the net house in captivity in order
to conserve their number from declining. The adults that
emerged were released in to the vegetation and a few
were retained in the park to rear them continuously and
release them periodically to sustain the species being
extinct.
The present data may be profitably utilized in the
successful conservation management of these butterfly
species either in parks, Zoos and butterfly houses or in
the field. Butterfly houses are popular exhibits in Zoos
and have an immense educational (Veltman, 2009) and
conservational potential (Mathew 2001; Veltman, 2009).
The present study also indicted that captive rearing the
larvae at about 282C permits enough stock of adults
for restocking the areas poor in populations.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge CSIR, New Delhi for financial
support through a major research project.

REFERENCES:
Asher J, Warren M, Fox R. 2001. The millennium
Atlas of Butterflies in Britain and Ireland. Oxford
University Press, Oxford.

Crone EE, Pickering D and Schultz CB. 2007. Can
captive rearing promote recovery of endangered
butterflies? an assessment in the face of uncertainty.
Biological Conservation. 139:103-112.

Grewal B. 1996. Friends of butterflies. Sanctuary Asia.
16:14-17.

Kehimkar I. 2008. The Book of Indian Butterflies,
Bombay Natural History Society. Oxford University
Press, Oxford, New York.

Mathew G. 2001. Conservation of invertebrates through
captive breeding: A study with reference to butterflies.
KFRI Research Report no. 220.

Murugesan S and Muthusamy M. 2011. Patterns of
butterfly biodiversity in three tropical habits at of the
eastern part of Western Ghats, Journal of Research in
Biology. 3:217-222

Nicholls CN and Pullin AS. 2000. A comparison of
larval survivorship in wild and introduced populations of
the large copper butterfly (Lycaena dispar batavus).
Biological Conservation. 93:349-358.

Prasanna kumar V Harinath P and Venkata Ramana
SP. 2011. Climate effects and habitat destruction on
Butterfly diversity in the Eastern Ghats of Southern
Andhra Pradesh. The Ecoscan: Special issue 1:139-143.

053 Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054
Kumar et al.,2012
Family Lankamalai
hills
Talakona
hills
Tirumala
hills
Danainae 300 500 450
Satyrinae 150 250 175
Biblidinae 60 50 70
Nymphalinae 400 900 700
Heliconiinae 150 400 350
Limenitinae 50 100 100
Total 1110 2200 1845
Table 3 Nymphalidae butterfly population at
different study sites during August 2011 to
September 2012.
Family Lankamalai
hills
Talakona
hills
Tirumala
hills
Danainae 0.927 0.949 0.941
Satyrinae 0.982 0.88 0.992
Biblidinae 0.998 0.999 0.999
Nymphalinae 0.871 0.833 0.857
Heliconiinae 0.982 0.968 0.965
Limenitinae 0.998 0.998 0.998
Table 4 Simpsons diversity indices of
Nymphalidae butterflies at study sites
Schultz CB, Russell C and Wynn L. 2008. Restoration,
reintroduction and captive propagation for at-risk
butterflies: a review of British and American
conservation efforts. Israel Journal of Ecology and
Evolution, Special Issue on Butterfly Conservation.
54:41-61.

Veltman K. 2009. How can zoos import and display
butterflies for educational purpose in a sustainable way?
International Zoo Yearbook, 43:124-130

Venkata Ramana SP. 2010. Biodiversity and
conservation of Butterflies in the Eastern Ghats.
The Ecoscan., 4:59-67.

Wynter-Blyth MA. 1957. Butterfly of the Indian region,
The Bombay Natural History Society, Bombay.
Journal of Research in Animal Sciences (2012) 1(2): 048-054 054
Kumar et al.,2012
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