Butterflies - Diversity in Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary of Baramati Tehsil in Pune district (India)

Abstract

Different species of plants and habitats of Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary attract wide variety of butterflies. A preliminary attempt on the diversity of butterflies was carried out in Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary of Baramati Tehsil of Pune District (India) and its vicinity from June 2013 to May 2016 using transects lining method. The Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary Campus is surrounded by lush green hillocks, natural lakes and the sugarcane farms. The total of 96 species of butterflies belonging to 68 genera and five families were recorded during the study period, of which 13 species were under the rare category (included 9 rare* and 4 very rare**). It was observed that the family Nymphalidae represented by 23 genera and 34 species was the most dominant followed by Lycaenidae (19 genera, 20 species), Hesperiidae (13 genera, 15 species), Pieridae (9 genera, 14 species) and Papilionidae (4 genera, 13 species). The diversity of butterflies in Mayureshwar Sanctuary deserve appreciations and exert a significant influence.