Diversity of butterfly communities at different altitudes of Menagesha-suba state forest, Ethiopia

Abstract

Butterflies are having aesthetic value and great ecological significance as consumers and pollinators in the ecosystem. The objective of the study was to describe the diversity of butterfly communities in habitat types at Menagesha-Suba State Forest in Ethiopia. Five elevation sites at Menagesha-Suba State forestwere selected for the study. Five families comprising 423 individuals were collected. The significant difference in diversity of butterflies among the altitudes as indicated by the values of Shannon Weiner-index H', value at 2200-2500m and the lowest at above 3300 m altitude. The species richness was relatively highest at 2200- 2500m and lowest at 3100-3300 m altitude. The Jaccard's Similarity Index indicated that the butterfly communities similarity was highest between altitudes of 3100-3300m and above 3300m, while the lowest value was noted at altitudes between 2200-2500m and 3100-3300m, 2200-2500m and above 3300m, and 2500-2800m and above 3300m. Among the five families, Nymphalidae dominated the butterfly community at all of the altitudinal sites.