Butterfly species diversity and their floral preferences in the Rupa
wetland of Nepal
Abstract
The diversity of butterflies is known to some extent in Nepal, but the
study of their interactions with nectar plant sources and floral
attributes is limited. This study was conducted along the periphery of
Rupa Wetland, a Ramsar site, from February to November 2019 to assess
butterfly species diversity and to identify the factors influencing
their foraging choices at nectar plants. We assessed the number of
butterfly species, their abundance, and their floral foraging behavior,
from 28 linear transects (500 m long each) placed in a stratified and
random manner throughout the study area. Five factors, i.e., category of
plant, flower colour, corolla shape, corolla depth, and the proboscis
length of butterfly species were taken into account to assess the nectar
plant choices of butterfly families. Moreover, species diversity at the
family level, and overall, were determined through several indices. When
examining overall butterfly diversity and abundance, we recorded a total
of 1,535 butterflies belonging to 138 species within six families. For
our examination of butterfly-nectar plant observations, we recorded a
total of 298 individuals belonging to 31 species of butterfly visiting a
total of 28 nectar plant species. Among the recorded butterflies,
Zemeros flegyas was found to be the most abundant (92 individuals),
while only a single individual each of the species Troides helena,
Gandaca herina and Belonois aurota were recorded. Of the 28 nectar host
plant species, Biden pilosa was the most popular and was visited by 13
species of butterflies. Overall, total butterfly visitation was found to
be significantly influenced by plant category (herbaceous preferred over
woody), floral colour (yellow, white, and purple preferred over pink),
and corolla shape (tubular preferred over non-tubular). Moreover, there
was a significant positive correlation (r = 0.466) between the proboscis
length of butterflies and the corolla tube length of flowers
(p<0.001).