A preliminary study on the abundance of butterflies around the Chandandhara waterfall, Nabarangpur, Odisha

Abstract

A study on the abundance of butterflies was conducted around the Chandandhara waterfall which is situated near the Nabarangpur district of Odisha. This is a tourist spot due to its natural beauty and the presence of a Shiva temple. Our study duration was about nine months and it revealed a total of 53 species of butterflies belonging to 37 genera and 6 families. The highest number of species were recorded under the family Nymphalidae (46.15%), followed by Papilionidae (19.23%), Pieridae (15.38%), Hesperiidae (9.61%), Lycanidae (7.69%) and Riodinidae (1.92%). This is a first attempt to prepare a checklist for the butterfly population present in this area which could be referred for further studies in the future.