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Butterflies of Manas World Heritage Site, Assam, India

Reshmi Bhattacharjee*, Rezina Ahmed

Department of Zoology, Gauhati University, Guwahati - 781014, Assam, India

Abstract: Butterflies are important bioindicators and form an important part of the food chain of different ecosystems. The present study was carried out to document the butterfly species composition of Manas World Heritage Site in Assam, India. The study which was carried out for four years from 2015 to 2019, revealed the presence of 252 species of butterflies in the study area. A total of 135 genera were recorded under all 6 major families which included 49 species of butterflies legally protected by the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Presence of such rare butterflies in Manas World Heritage Site combined with the high diversity makes the study area an ideal site for future works focussed on assessing different aspects of butterfly ecology and long-term effects of environmental changes.

Keywords: butterfly, diversity, Manas, World Heritage Site

Received February 10, 2020; Revised March 19, 2020; Accepted April 05, 2020

Citation: Reshmi Bhattacharjee, Rezina Ahmed, Butterflies of Manas World Heritage Site, Assam, India. Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 8 (2). 47-54. January 2020. doi:10.12691/aees-8-2-2

1. Introduction

Butterflies, belonging to the order Lepidoptera, play a diverse role in the food chain of different ecosystems. Functioning as prey, predator, primary consumer and pollinators during different stages of their life, butterflies are ecologically significant and essential components of biodiversity. Moreover, butterflies potentially influence plant population dynamics, both in terms of floristic diversity as well as floral distribution patterns, through their interactions with plant species, in larval stages as herbivores and in adult stage as pollinators [1]. Apart from their scientific value, butterflies also possess high aesthetic value and have been accorded a place in many cultures.

Out of 18000 species of butterflies recorded all over the world, India accounts for 1501 species [2], and the Northeast region, known for its high floral and faunal diversity, has a record of 962 butterfly species [3]. Butterflies of the North-east were first documented by Evans, followed by works of other European Lepidopterists such as Tytler and Parsons [4,5]. But significant updated data on butterflies of entire Northeast and even of protected areas such as Manas Wildlife Sanctuary are still lacking. In recent years, notable works on butterflies have been undertaken by Kakati [6], Barua et al. [7], Singh [8], Saikia and Sakia [9], Choudhury et al. [10], Gogoi et al. [11,12] Sondhi et al. [13] among others. Manas World Heritage Site forms a part of the globally recognized Indo-Myanmar biodiversity hotspot, which possess a remarkable biodiversity including many endemic, rare and endangered species. The high species richness and endemism make this an especially important region for butterfly diversity and conservation in India.

1.1. Study Site

The study was conducted in Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which covers an area of 390 km² (see Figure 1). The study area forms a part of the core of Manas Tiger Reserve in the northeastern Indian state of Assam and is located in the foothills of the Himalayas, in the northern Brahmaputra valley. It has a tropical climate with annual rainfall between 3000 and 4000 mm. The hottest period of the year is Monsoon (June-September) and it is also the period with the most rainfall, while winter (December-February) is characterized by cold weather and fog. The pre-monsoon season (March-May) and the retreating monsoon (October-November) are transitional periods [14]. Monthly values for temperature average between 27 ± 6˚C, during the monsoon and 20 ± 5˚C during the winter. The vegetation of the study area can be classified as sub-Himalayan alluvial semi-evergreen forest, east Himalayan mixed moist and dry deciduous forests, and grasslands [15].

1.2. Survey and Data Collection

A survey of the butterfly diversity of Manas Wildlife Sanctuary was done for four consecutive years from 2015 till 2019. A total of 21 transects, representing four different landscape zones were laid out as follows:

Transect T₁-T₅, each 1 kilometre in length, in grassland landscape which is characterized by Narenga porphyrocoma, Imperata cylindrica, Vetiveria zizaanioides, Arundo donax, Saccharum spontaneum, Saccharum procerum, Phragmites karka, Themeda arundinacea, that are interspersed with tress such as Bombax ceiba, Lagerstroemia flosreginae, Dillenia indica etc.

Transect T₆ - T₁₀, each 1 kilometre in length, in woodland landscape characterized by Bombax ceiba, Pterospermum acerifolium, Amoora wallichi, Lagerstroemia flosreginae, Terminalia bellerica, Careya arborea, Dysoxylum binectariferum, Phoebe goalparensis, etc.

Transect T₁₁ - T₁₆, each 500 metre in length and T₁₇, 1 kilometre in length, in forest edge landscape which is characterized by small shrubs and grasses, including Lantana camara, Leea asiatica, Mimosa pudica, Ageratum conyzoides, Cynodon dactylon, etc.

Transect T₁₈ - T ₂₁, each 1 kilometre in length, in river slope and dried stream bed landscape, which is characterized by dry river beds and muddy swampy areas with scrub vegetation including Ageratum conyzoides, Lepidogethis cristata, Cynodon dactylon etc.

Butterflies were sampled using the Modified Pollard Walk method [16] and sampling was carried out on days with less than 30% cloud cover as butterfly activity is higher on sunny days [17]. In each transect, butterflies were recorded within a distance of 10 metres from the observer on either side. Photographs of every new species encountered was taken with special emphasis on photographing the upper and underside of wings. Opportunistic surveys were also carried out at the end of each sampling session to maximize the chances of locating new species. Butterflies were identified using the identification keys of Watson [18], Evans [3], Talbot [19], Haribal [20], and photographic guides of Kehimkar [2].

2. Results

During the study period a total of 252 species of butterflies belonging to 135 genera and 6 major families were recorded from Manas World Heritage Site (see Table 1). Majority of butterfly species were recorded from the family Nymphalidae with 101 species, followed by Lycaenidae with 63 species, Hesperiidae with 35 species, Pieridae with 27 species, Papilionidae with 24 species and Riodinidae with 2 species. (see Figure 2). The maximum number of genera were recorded under Nymphalidae family while the least were recorded under Riodinidae family (see Figure 2). The total number of 252 species recorded also included 49 species of butterflies which are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Figure 1. Manas World Heritage Site (Manas Wildlife Sanctuary) in Assam, India.

Table 1. Comprehensive list of butterfly species recorded in Manas World Heritage Site from 2015 to 2019

Figure 2. Bar diagram showing the number of species and genera of butterflies recorded under different families in the study area during 2015-2019

3. Discussion

The current study found the presence of 252 species of butterfly in Manas World Heritage Site which included 49 species protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 [21]. Similar studies on Manas Biosphere Reserve by other authors have reported the presence of 303 species [10] and 180 species [22]. Such high number of butterflies recorded in this area is probably due to the variation of available habitat types for butterflies in the study area. Many unique species were also recorded from the study area such as Hasora taminatus and Pontia daplidace, which were previously recorded from West Arunachal Pradesh and are expected to have extended their range into different parts of Northeastern India through Buxa-Manas. Pontia daplidace was previously recorded from Manas National Park only by Gogoi et al. in 2014 [23]. Similarly, the skipper Caprona agama is known only from Khasi Hills in Northeastern India but it was recorded in the study area, from the grassland landscape zone. The current study thus found that Manas World Heritage Site, due to its location as a part of Manas Tiger Reserve, acts as a confluence for butterfly species from Himalayan foothills and Gangetic plains. Due to the rich butterfly diversity, the study area thus has the potential to be developed as a site for butterfly tourism. Creation of butterfly trails and training local youths as butterfly guides can aid in conservation of this World Heritage Site by ensuring participation of the fringe villages and community conservation.

4. Conclusion

There is a lack of comprehensive data on Lepidopteran fauna from Manas landscape. With butterflies functioning as bioindicators of ecosystem changes, the Manas World Heritage Site can serve as a study area for assessing the impact of environmental changes and anthropogenic factors on butterfly populations over time. Thus, future studies focussing on documenting different aspects of butterfly diversity and ecology in the Manas landscape need to be undertaken.

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the Department of Zoology, Gauhati University for providing the opportunity to conduct research on butterfly diversity of Manas National Park. We are thankful to Dr. Jatin Kalita (former HOD, Department of Zoology, Gauhati University), Dr. P.K.Saikia (HOD, Department of Zoology, Gauhati University) for their support and guidance. We would also like to thank Jawaharlal Nehru University for providing the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund (JNMF) scholarship to the first author. The authors are also thankful to the PCCF (Wildlife), the Field Director of Manas Tiger Reserve for granting permission to work in Manas National Park, and all the forest staff for their help and support.

Stating of Competing Interests

The authors have no competing interests.

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