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Diversity of butterfly in and around Vijaynagar of district Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh, India

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Abstract

The butterfly survey was carried out in and around Vijaynagar of District Changlang Arunachal Pradesh for the first time from Jan 2021 to Dec 2022. A total of 281 species of butterfly belonging to 5 families of 147 genera namely; Papilionidae (28 sp.), Pieridae (30 sp.), Lycaenidae (61sp.), Nymphalidae (120 sp.), and Hesperiidae (42 sp.) were recorded during the present study. The family Nymphalidae was the most dominant among the recorded butterflies, followed by Lycaenidae, Hesperiidae, Pieridae and Papilionidae. From the recorded species 47 were listed under various schedules of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972, of which 9 sp. were listed to Schedule I, 32 sp. to Schedule II and 6 sp. to Schedule IV respectively. The encounter of rare, endemic and endangered species indicates potential biodiversity in the region. Therefore, a more detailed and systematic investigation is necessary. Further, proper strategies and plans are required for sustainable conservation to keep these rare, endemic and endangered species from being pushed to extinction.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge with deep appreciation the assistance of Dr. Monsoon Gogoi and Mr. Roshan Upadhaya in species identification and sincere gratitude extending to the residents of Vijaynagar with special appreciation extended to Mohan Kumar Limbu, Saranga Limbu, Govind Chettri, Nikil Rai, Bal Bahadur Pradhan, Narayan Thapa, Bipana Thapa, Reema Chettri, Ashna Thapa, Chandra Kumar Limbu, Akshara Limbu, Nishan Limbu and Madan Chettri for their selfless contributions during the field survey. The authors are profoundly grateful for their unwavering support and logistical aid, integral to the overall success of the research initiative.

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Authors RL did the sampling, statistical analysis, identification of studied species and manuscript preparation and Author RA managed the analyses of the study and literature searches. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ramandeep Achint.

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Limbu, R., Achint, R. Diversity of butterfly in and around Vijaynagar of district Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Int J Trop Insect Sci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-024-01225-5

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