Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 April 2026 | 18(4): 28644–28656
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9988.18.4.28644-28656
#9988 | Received 09 June 2025 | Final received 14 March 2026| Finally
accepted 16 March 2026
Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) of Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, West Bengal,
India: a preliminary checklist
Ratnadeep Sarkar 1 & Priyanka Rai 2
1,2 Ashoka Trust for Research in
Ecology and the Environment, The Himalaya Initiative, Gangtok,
Sikkim 737102, India.
1 ratnadeepsarkar37@gmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 priyanka.rai@atree.org
Both the authors contributed
equally and share the first authorship.
Editor: Pritha
Dey, National Centre for Biological Sciences,
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. Date of publication: 26 April 2026 (online & print)
Citation: Sarkar, R. & P. Rai (2026).
Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) of Mahananda
Wildlife Sanctuary, West Bengal, India: a preliminary checklist. Journal of Threatened
Taxa 18(4): 28644–28656. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9988.18.4.28644-28656
Copyright: © Sarkar & Rai 2026. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: Authors received no specific grants for this particular research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Author details: Sarkar, R. worked as a researcher at the University of North Bengal, ATREE and WWF, cherishes his close interest in insects. Rai, P. is a researcher at ATREE and currently, pursuing her PhD from Sikkim Central University.
Author contributions: RS & PR—Conceptualization, field works, species identification, writing original draft, review writing and editing.
Acknowledgements: Authors are highly grateful to the West Bengal Biodiversity Board (WBBB), Kolkata, as this checklist is an outcome of the Chinese Pangolin Project funded by the authority. The authors express their sincere gratitude to the Directorate of Forests, Government of West Bengal, for the permissions to conduct this research work in the protected area. Range officers and beat officers of the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary are additionally acknowledged for the permission and co-operation all along. We also cordially thank all the forest guards for their support in the field. Authors are also indebted to Mr. Sagar Chhetri, forest staff, for his help in collecting photographs of butterflies. Dr. Sarala Khaling, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Nepal, and former regional director of ATREE-Eastern Himalaya Northeast Regional Office, is thanked for institutional support. Dr. Sunita Pradhan, senior fellow at ATREE, The Himalaya Initiative, Gangtok, Sikkim-737102, India and PI of the Chinese Pangolin Project, is thanked for her continuous encouragement and deliberate suggestions for the development of butterfly checklist from the sanctuary.
Abstract: The present study from Mahananda
Wildlife Sanctuary records a total of 98 butterfly species among which 66
species are found as ‘first-time records’ from the sanctuary. Therein, eight
butterfly species are scheduled under the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act,
2022 and two are enlisted in the IUCN species list (2016). Nymphalids
were recorded at the highest frequency (45.92%) whereas Riodinids are rarest
(2.04%).
Keywords: Darjeeling, lepidopteran-diversity,
new species records, Nymphalidae, protected area, Riodinidae, Terai.
INTRODUCTION
Butterflies
(Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) are ‘day-flying
lepidopterans’, belonging to the world’s second largest insect order under the
Class Insecta (Wendimu et
al. 2024). These widespread creatures are found almost in every ecological
stratum and perform diverse ecological functions in nature. Butterflies act as
bio-indicators for a healthy environment and pollinate many flowering plants,
thus serving a wide range of ecological benefits (Sinha et al. 2019).
The
northern sub-Himalayan part of West Bengal is extremely biodiverse; a handful
of studies were reported on butterfly diversity, records, and its ecology from
this region. Chakraborty et al. (2023) recorded a few butterfly species from Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR). Only two studies have been
conducted from the Neora Valley National Park (Roy et
al. 2012; Sengupta et al. 2014). Pradhan & Khaling
(2020) recorded butterfly diversity from an organic tea plantation garden of
the Darjeeling hills, and a single work from the University of North Bengal
campus have been reported (Saha et al. 2023) till
date. Approximately, 256 species of butterflies have been recorded from
Darjeeling district, of which the family Nymphalidae
is the most diverse (114 species), followed by Lycaenidae
(52 species), Pieridae (28 species), Hesperiidae (28 species), Papilionidae
(27 species), and Riodinidae (7 species) (Roy et al.
2012; Sengupta et al. 2014; Pradhan & Khaling
2020; Saha et al. 2023).
Singhal
& Chowdhury (1996) provided the first comprehensive record of biodiversity
from Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary (MWS), documenting 170 species of plants (39
trees, 55 herbs, 54 shrubs, and 22 climbers) and 329 species of animals (32
mammals, 253 birds, 9 reptiles, 6 amphibians, and 27 lepidopterans). No
systematic study on butterfly diversity has been conducted in MWS to date. Only
a baseline study on the flora and fauna of MWS is available (Singhal &
Chowdhury 1996), conducted collaboratively by the Wildlife Wing, Forest
Department, Government of West Bengal; the West Bengal Forest Development
Corporation Ltd.; and the Nature, Environment & Wildlife Society (NEWS). In
the survey report by Singhal & Chowdhury (1996), 27 species of butterflies
were listed along with other wildlife taxa approximately 30 years ago,
providing only rudimentary information on the butterfly fauna of MWS. There are
several protected forests in India where butterfly diversity data was recorded
because of its pivotal role as pollinators in all the habitats (Sengupta et al.
2014; Gogoi et al. 2023; Choudhury et al. 2024).
Therefore, the present study was undertaken in MWS to generate an updated
checklist of butterfly species, providing baseline information to facilitate
future studies on their diversity, abundance, distribution, and conservation
within this protected area.
MATERIALS
AND METHODS
MWS along
its four ranges, namely, Sukna or East, West, North,
and South Range, is expanded over the foothills of central Himalaya and parts
of Terai plains (26.798°–26.925° N, 88.393°–88.558°
E) of West Bengal (Figure 1). It falls under one of the most species-rich
regions in the Indian subcontinent. Hydrologically, the sanctuary is influenced
by the Mahananda River system, with the Teesta River defining its eastern
margin. The sanctuary encompasses an area of about 161 km², with elevations
ranging approximately 150–1,300 m (MWS Management Plan 2012–2022). Most of the
habitats of the sanctuary are hilly mountains with precipitous to moderate
slopes. The sanctuary contains temperate to tropical climate which give rise
evergreen tropical, sub-tropical and deciduous forest and even grasslands in
its different parts. Along the two rivers, MWS has characteristic thin
watercourses or streams generated from the Himalayan mountains and monsoon
rains, innervating the whole sanctuary, are lifelines to its numerous bioresources
and wildlife. The sanctuary is situated in the trans-boundary between highly
biodiverse ‘Doars’ in the eastern side and Darjeeling
Himalaya in its extreme northern side.
The
perennial and non-perennial watercourses of MWS serve as lifelines to the
wildlife that often visit the places for water and leave their droppings on the
shores. The natural bleach and mineral salts are accumulated on the rocks and
sandy shores from the algae. The forest soil also shows a variation of sandy
loam, coarse sand or ‘slit’ type texture and color from light brown to dark
brown, contains different grades of mineral salts and organic matters (MWS
Management Plan 2012–2022). These attributes of several spots of Mahananda
habitat attract the butterflies to puddle inside the sanctuary for the
accumulation of salts, minerals, and amino acids, essential for their
physiological and reproductive functions.
For this
study, opportunistic surveys were carried out on sunny days from 0800 h to 1200
h, occasionally in the dawn for capturing specific butterflies, between
March–September 2024, in the sanctuary. Due to permanent occupancy of
mega-mammals, like elephants, butterflies were solely documented by direct
sighting and random walks (Murugesan et al. 2013; Upadhyay et al. 2023) near
the water courses, roadsides, range office compounds, plantation forests and
sometimes in forest core areas (Image 6). Butterflies were photographed in
their natural habitat using a digital camera (NIKON P-900), and common species
were identified based on their body and wing color patterns, and designs on the
spot. All species were later verified using published literature (Mukherjee
& Mondal 2020), standard books (Evans 1932), field guide books (Smetacek 2017; Sinha et al. 2019), and from some relevant
websites (https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org; https://www.inaturalist.org) (Kunte et al. 2026; iNaturalist
2026). All photo plates and data charts were prepared in the MS-PowerPoint 2019
and MS-Excel 2019, respectively.
RESULTS
In this
study, a total of 98 butterfly species, representing 66 genera across all six
extant families, were recorded from MWS. Among these, 86 species were
photographed during the survey (Images 1–5). Detailed information on all 98
species is presented in Table 1.
The
family-wise distribution of species in the sanctuary was as follows: Riodinidae–2 species (2.04%), Hesperiidae–8
species (8.16%), Papilionidae–9 species (9.18%), Pieridae–12 species (12.24%), Lycaenidae–22
species (22.45%), and Nymphalidae–45 species (45.92%)
(Table 1, Figure 2). Four families, namely, Papilionidae,
Pieridae, Lycaenidae, and Nymphalidae, were recorded in all four ranges of the
sanctuary, whereas Hesperiidae was absent from the
northern range. Riodinidae was recorded exclusively
in the eastern (Sukna) range (Table 1; Figure 3).
Among all families, Nymphalidae was the most
species-rich and abundant, while Riodinidae was the
least abundant, represented by only two species.
Butterfly
species were observed within an altitudinal range of 161–576 m in MWS, with 91
out of the 98 species found occurring below 200 m, ranging from sub-tropical
and tropical to moist forests (Table 1).
Of the 98
recorded species, eight are listed under the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment
Act, 2022. Two species, Orchid Tit Hypolycaena
othona and Grey Count Tanaecia
lepidea, are included in Schedule I; five
species, Danaid Eggfly Hypolimnas
misippus, Long-banded Silverline Spindasis lohita,
Great Evening Brown Melanitis zitenius, White-bar Bushbrown
Mycalesis anaxias,
and Blue Oakleaf Butterfly Kallima horsfieldi, are included in Schedule II; and a single
species, Common Crow Euploea core, is
included in Schedule IV (Table 1). Under the IUCN Red List (2016), two
species—Common Imperial Cheritra freja and Plain Tiger Danaus chrysippus—are
classified as ‘Least Concern’ (Table 1), whereas the remaining species have not
been assessed.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Out of 98 species, 18 were found
both this study and in the record of Singhal & Chowdhury (1996). Whereas,
nine other species of previous record were absent during this study. Amongst 66
species were first-time recorded from the sanctuary in this study: Nymphalidae–27 species—Cirrochroa
aoris, Junonia
hierta, Junonia
lemonias, Parantica
aglea, Tirumala septentrionis,
Melanitis zitenius,
Chersonesia risa,
Kallima inachus,
Mycalesis anaxias,
Mycalesis visala,
Orsotriaena medus,
Mycalesis perseus,
Tanaecia jahnu,
Tanaecia lepidea,
Tanaecia julii,
Euthalia aconthea,
Neptis clinia susruta, Athyma inara, Pantoporia hordonia, Neptis miah miah, Athyma perius perius, Lasippa viraja, Lebadea martha, Charaxes psaphon imna, Hypolimnas bolina, Elymnias hypermnestra undularis, Symbrenthia
lilaea; Lycaenidae–19
species—Arhopala centaurus,
Castalius rosimon, Cheritra freja, Spalgis epius, Talicada nyseus, Heliophorus epicles, Pseudozizeeria maha, Jamides alecto, Jamides bochus, Jamides celeno, Catapaecilma major, Catochrysops
strabo, Hypolycaena erylus, Hypolycaena othona, Spindasis lohita, Prosotas nora, Leptotes plinius, Chilades pandava, and Loxura atymnus; Hesperiidae–eight
species—Seseria sambara,
Gerosis bhagava, Pseudocoladenia dan, Sarangesa dasahara, Burara gomata, Pelopidas agna, Oriens gola,
Iambrix salsala; Pieridae–six species—Pieris canidia,
Eurema blanda,
Catopsilia pomona,
Hebomoia glaucippe,
Cepora nerissa,
and Appias olferna;
Papilionidae–four species—Graphium
antiphates, Graphium doson, Papilio nephelus, and Papilio memnon; and Riodinidae–two
species—Zemeros flegyas
and Abisara bifasciata.
Records of the majority butterfly species (91 species) within a 162–200 m range
of MWS is corroborated with Priya (2024).
In India, about 500 Nymphalid
species are found, among which 45 species are now found from MWS. As other
studies from the region (Roy et al. 2012; Sengupta et al. 2014; Pradhan & Khaling 2020; Saha et al. 2023),
here only the highest number of species is from Nymphalidae
and the lowest number from Riodinidae. Their
dominance in MWS may be due to its habitat preferences and larval host as well
as nectar plants among the vast floral diversity in the foothills of the
Himalaya (Sengupta et al. 2014; Pradhan & Khaling
2020). With 98 butterfly species, several of protected under WPA, 1972 and the
IUCN species list (2016), the MWS can be considered an important reserve of
butterflies in the transition zone between the peninsular Indian sub-region and
Indo-Malayan sub-region of the Oriental region.
With 98 species, although this
work is the first of its kind in the record of butterflies, not only from MWS
but also from any protected forests of the Darjeeling District, this study
demands systematic, long-term investigation for the record of more butterfly
species as well as a survey on its nectar and host plants and precise efforts
for the introduction of conservation and management practices for the butterfly
fauna in MWS.
Table 1. Checklist of butterflies
recorded from Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary (March–September, 2024).
|
Scientific name |
Common name |
Habitat type |
Collection
locality |
Elevation (m) |
Red List status |
WPAA, 2022 status |
|
Family 1. Riodinidae
(2 species) |
||||||
|
Zemeros flegyas Cramer, 1780* |
Punchinello |
TPF; FROC |
ER; ER |
184; 197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Abisara bifasciata Moore, 1877* |
Double-banded Judy |
TPF |
ER |
181 |
NL |
NM |
|
Family 2. Hesperiidae
(8 species) |
||||||
|
Seseria sambara Moore, 1866* |
Notched Seseria |
LHWMF |
WR |
177 |
NL |
NM |
|
Gerosis bhagava Moore, 1866* |
Yellow-breasted Flat |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Pseudocoladenia dan Fabricius, 1787* |
(Himalayan) Fulvous Pied Flat |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Sarangesa dasahara Moore, 1866* |
Indian Common Small Flat |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
- |
- |
|
Burara gomata Moore, 1866* |
Pale Green Awlet |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Pelopidas agna Moore, 1865* |
Bengal Obscure Branded Swift |
FROC |
SR |
186 |
- |
- |
|
Oriens gola Moore, 1877* |
Common Dartlet |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Iambrix salsala Moore, 1866* |
Chestnut Bob |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Family 3. Papilionidae
(9 species) |
||||||
|
Graphium agamemnon Linnaeus, 1758§ |
Tailed Jay |
SPF - |
SR; Golaghat, 1995 |
162 |
NL |
NM |
|
Graphium antiphates Cramer, 1775* |
Five-bar Swordtail |
LHWMF; FROC |
WR; ER |
177; 197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Graphium doson Felder, 1864* |
Common Jay |
LHWMF |
WR |
177 |
NL |
NM |
|
Graphium sarpedon Linnaeus, 1758§ |
Common Bluebottle |
LHWMF; FROC - |
WR; ER; Golaghat,
1995 |
177; 197; - |
NL |
NM |
|
Papilio nephelus Boisduval, 1836* |
Yellow Helen |
LHWMF; FROC; LHDMF; LHDMF |
WR; ER; NR; NR |
177; 197; 235; 190 |
NL |
NM |
|
Papilio memnon Linnaeus, 1758* |
Great Mormon |
FROC LHDMF |
ER; NR |
197; 190 |
NL |
NM |
|
Papilio polytes Linnaeus, 1758§ |
Common Mormon |
FROC; LHDMF; LHDMF; LHDMF; FROC; FROC; LHWMF |
NR; NR; NR; NR; ER; SR; WR; Hatisar, 1995 |
195; 317; 228; 190; 197; 186; 177 |
NL |
NM |
|
Papilio demoleus Linnaeus, 1758¥ |
Lime butterfly |
- |
Andheri, 1995 |
- |
NA |
NM |
|
Pachliopta aristolochiae Fabricius,
1775¥ |
Common Rose |
- |
Sukna, 1995 |
- |
NL |
NM |
|
Family 4. Pieridae
(12 species) |
||||||
|
Pieris canidia Linnaeus, 1768* |
Asian Cabbage White |
FROC; LHWMF |
ER; WR |
197;184 |
NL |
NM |
|
Leptosia nina Fabricius, 1793§ |
Psyche |
FROC & roadside |
ER; Jogijhora,
1995 |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Eurema blanda Boisduval, 1836* |
Three-spot Grass Yellow |
LHWMF; FROC & roadside |
WR; ER |
177; 197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Eurema hecabe Linnaeus, 1758§ |
Common Grass Yellow |
LHWMF - - |
WR; Golaghat,
1995; Hatisar, 1995 |
177; - |
NL |
NM |
|
Catopsilia pomona Fabricius, 1775* |
Lemon Emigrant |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Ixias pyrene Linnaeus, 1764§ |
Yellow Orange-tip |
LHWMF - |
WR; Banderjhola,
1995 |
177; - |
NL |
NM |
|
Hebomoia glaucippe Linnaeus, 1758* |
Great Orange-tip |
LHWMF; WMF |
WR; SR |
184; 174 |
NL |
NM |
|
Cepora nerissa Fabricius, 1775* |
Common Gull |
LHWMF; Roadside |
WR; ER |
177; 197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Delias descombesi Boisduval, 1836§ |
Red-spot Jezebel |
FV - |
NR; Kokhlong,
1995 |
195; - |
NL |
NM |
|
Appias lyncida Cramer, 1777§ |
Chocolate Albatross |
LHWMF; Roadside; LHDMF - |
WR; ER; NR; Chewa, 1995 |
177; 184; 228; - |
NL |
NM |
|
Appias olferna Swinhoe, 1890* |
Eastern Striped Albatross |
Roadside; FROC; LHWMF |
ER; ER; WR |
184; 197; 177 |
NL |
NM |
|
Delias hyparete Linnaeus, 1758¥ |
Painted Jezebel |
- |
Kuhi, 1995 |
- |
NL |
NM |
|
Family 5. Lycaenidae
(22 species) |
||||||
|
Arhopala centauruns Fabricius, 1775* |
Centaur Oakblue |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Arhopala sp. |
Oakblue Butterfly |
TPF |
ER |
184 |
NL |
NM |
|
Castalius rosimon Fabricius, 1775* |
Common Pierrot |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Cheritra freja Fabricius, 1793* |
Common Imperial |
LHWMF; FROC |
WR; ER |
177; 197 |
LC |
NM |
|
Curetis sp. |
Sunbeam |
FROC |
NR |
195 |
NL |
NM |
|
Spalgis epius Westwood, 1851* |
Apefly |
FV |
ER |
576 |
NL |
NM |
|
Talicada nyseus Guerin, 1843* |
Indian Red Pierrot |
LHWMF; FROC |
WR; ER |
184; 197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Heliophorus epicles Godart, 1824* |
Purple Sapphire |
LHWMF |
WR |
184 |
NL |
NM |
|
Pseudozizeeria maha Kollar, 1844* |
Pale Grass Blue |
LHWMF; FROC |
WR; ER |
177; 197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Jamides alecto C. Felder, 1860* |
Metallic Cerulean |
LHWMF; FROC |
WR; ER |
177; 197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Jamides bochus Stoll, 1782* |
Dark Cerulean |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Jamides celeno Cramer, 1775* |
Common Cerulean |
LHWMF; FROC - |
WR; ER; WR |
184; 197; 177 |
NL |
NM |
|
Catapaecilma major Druce, 1895* |
(Himalayan) Common Tinsel |
SPF |
SR |
161 |
NL |
NM |
|
Catochrysops strabo Fabricius, 1793* |
Forget-me-not |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Hypolycaena erylus Godart, 1824* |
Common Tit |
Sal forest |
SR |
161 |
NL |
NM |
|
Hypolycaena othona Hewitson, 1865* |
Orchid Tit |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
Sch-I |
|
Spindasis sp. |
Silverline |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
- |
- |
|
Spindasis lohita Horsfield, 1829* |
Long-banded Silverline |
SPF |
SR |
161 |
NL |
Sch-II |
|
Prosotas nora C. Felder, 1860* |
Common Lineblue |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Leptotes plinius Fabricius, 1793* |
Zebra blue |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Chilades pandava Horsfield, 1829* |
Plains Cupid |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Loxura atymnus Stoll, 1780* |
Yamfly |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Family 6. Nymphalidae
(45 species) |
||||||
|
Cirrochroa aoris Doubleday, 1847* |
Large Yeoman |
TPF; FROC; FROC |
NR; SR; ER |
186; 164; 197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Junonia iphita Cramer, 1779§ |
Chocolate Pansy |
LHWMF; LHWMF; FROC - |
WR; WR; ER; Latpanchor, 1995 |
184; 177; 197; - |
NL |
NM |
|
Junonia hierta Fabricius, 1798* |
Yellow Pansy |
LHWMF |
WR |
184 |
NA |
NM |
|
Junonia lemonias Linnaeus, 1758* |
Lemon Pansy |
LHWMF |
WR |
177 |
NL |
NM |
|
Danaus genutia Cramer, 1779§ |
Striped Tiger |
LHWMF; FROC; FROC |
WR; ER; Rhyeum, 1995 |
184; 197; - |
NL |
NM |
|
Danaus chrysippus Linnaeus, 1758§ |
Plain Tiger |
LHWMF; FROC - |
WR; ER; Golaghat, 1995 |
184; 197; - |
LC |
NM |
|
Parantica aglea Stoll, 1782* |
Glassy Tiger |
LHWMF; WMF |
WR; SR |
177; 184 |
NL |
NM |
|
Tirumala septentrionis Butler, 1874* |
Dark Blue Tiger |
LHWMF |
WR |
184 |
NL |
NM |
|
Euploea sp. |
Crow Butterfly |
LHWMF; LHWMF; FROC |
WR; WR; ER |
184; 177;197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Euploea core Cramer, 1780§ |
Common Crow |
FROC; WMF; Forest road - |
ER; WR; SR; Sukna, 1995 |
197; 184; 164; - |
NL |
Sch-IV |
|
Melanitis zitenius Herbst, 1796* |
Great Evening Brown |
LHWMF |
WR |
291 |
NL |
Sch- II |
|
Chersonesia risa Doubleday, 1848* |
Common Maplet |
LHWMF |
WR |
179 |
NL |
NM |
|
Kallima inachus Doyere, 1840* |
Himalayan Orange Oakleaf |
WMF |
WR; SR |
184; 174 |
NL |
NM |
|
Lethe confusa Aurivillius, 1898§ |
Banded Treebrown |
FV; FV |
ER; ER; Panchanai,
1995 |
184; 576; - |
NL |
NM |
|
Mycalesis anaxias Hewitson, 1862* |
White-bar Bushbrown |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
Sch-II |
|
Mycalesis visala Moore, 1858* |
Long-branded Bushbrown |
WMF |
ER |
181 |
NL |
NM |
|
Orsotriaena medus Fabricius, 1775* |
Oriental Medus
Brown |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Mycalesis perseus Fabricius, 1775* |
Common Bushbrown |
FROC |
ER; SR |
197;162 |
NL |
NM |
|
Charaxes bharata C. & R. Felder, 1867§ |
Indian Nawab |
FROC |
ER; Golaghat,
1995 |
197; - |
NL |
NM |
|
Tanaecia jahnu Moore, 1858* |
Plain Earl |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Tanaecia lepidea Butler, 1868* |
Grey Count |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
Sch-I |
|
Tanaecia julii Lesson, 1837* |
Common Earl |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Euthalia aconthea Cramer, 1777* |
Common Baron |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Neptis clinia susruta Moore, 1872* |
Himalayan Sullied Sailer |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Athyma inara Westwood, 1850* |
Color Sergeant |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Pantoporia hordonia Stoll, 1790* |
Common Lascar |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Neptis miah miah Moore, 1858* |
East Himalayan Small Yellow Sailer |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Athyma perius perius Linnaeus, 1758* |
Oriental Common Sergeant |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Lasippa viraja Moore, 1872* |
Yellowjack Sailer |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Neptis sp. |
Sailer |
LHWMF |
WR |
177 |
- |
NM |
|
Lebadea martha Fabricius, 1787* |
Knight |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Phalanta phalantha Drury, 1773§ |
Common Leopard |
LHDMF; LHWMF; - |
NR; WR; Sukna, 1995 |
228; 184; - |
NL |
NM |
|
Charaxes psaphon imna Westwood, 1847* |
Indian Plain Tawny Rajah |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Hypolimnas bolina Linnaeus, 1758* |
Great Eggfly |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Elymnias hypermnestra undularis Drury, 1773* |
Himalayan Palmfly |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Ypthima baldus Fabricius, 1775§ |
Common Five-ring |
FROC; SPF |
ER; Panchanai, 1995 |
197; - |
NL |
NM |
|
Ypthima huebneri Kirby, 1871§ |
Common Four-ring |
FROC; LHDMF |
ER; Upper Ghoramara,
1995 |
197; - |
NL |
NM |
|
Aglais caschmirensis Kollar,
1844§ |
Indian Tortoiseshell |
FROC |
ER Sukna
1995a,b |
197; - |
NL |
NM |
|
Symbrenthia lilaea Hewitson, 1864* |
Northern Common Jester |
FROC |
ER |
197 |
NL |
NM |
|
Charaxes bernardus Fabricius, 1793¥ |
Tawny Rajah |
- |
Hatisar, 1995 |
- |
NL |
NM |
|
Cyrestis thyodamas Doyere, 1840¥ |
Map Butterfly |
- |
Jogijhora, 1995 |
- |
NL |
NM |
|
Hypolimnas misippus Linnaeus, 1764¥ |
Danaid Eggfly |
- |
Golma, 1995 |
- |
NA |
Sch-II |
|
Tirumala limniace Cramer, 1775¥ |
Blue Tiger Butterfly |
- |
Sukna, 1995 |
- |
NL |
NM |
|
Neptis hylas Linnaeus, 1758¥ |
Common Sailer |
- |
Golaghat, 1995 |
- |
NL |
NM |
|
Kallima horsfieldi Kollar, 1844¥ |
Blue Oakleaf Butterfly |
- |
Latpanchor, 1995 |
- |
NA |
Sch-II |
ER—East range | FROC—Forest range
office compound | LC—Least Concern | LHDMF—Lower hill dry mixed forest |
LHWMF—Lower hill wet mixed forests | NA—Not applicable | NL—Not listed | NM—Not
mentioned | NR—North range | Sch—Schedule | SPF—Sal
Plantation forest | SR—South range | TPF—Teak Plantation Forest | WMF—Wet mixed
forest | WPAA—Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 | WR—West range.
*Species identified in this study
represent new records.
§Species found in both the
previous records and this study;
¥Species found in the previous
records but not in this study
FOR
FIGURES & IMAGES - - CLICK HERE FOR FULL PDF
REFERENCES
Chakraborty,
M., P. Baidya & U.S. Roy (2023). Butterfly diversity along a
short trekking route inside Buxa Tiger Reserve, West
Bengal, India. Species 24(e18s1018): 1–15.
Choudhury,
K., B. Basumatary & P.J. Sapruna
(2024). Butterflies
in two Conservation Gradient Landscapes of Manas
Biosphere Reserve, Assam, India. Asian Journal of Conservation Biology
13(1): 62–74.
Evans, W.H.
(1932). The
identification of Indian Butterflies, 2nd Edition. The
Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India, 454 pp.
Gogoi, R., A. Chetry
& A. Bhuyan (2023). Diversity and species richness
of butterfly in Soraipung range of Dehing Patkai National Park,
Assam, India. The Journal of Basic and Applied Zoology 84(6): 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41936-023-00327-9
iFoundbutterflies (2024). https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org/.
Accessed on 02.xi.2024.
iNaturalist (2024). https://www.inaturalist.org/.
Accessed on 12.x.2024.
iNaturalist (2026). https://www.inaturalist.org/.
Accessed on 09.ii.2026.IUCN (2016). IUCN Red List of threatened species.
Version 2016.1. at https://www.iucnredlist.org/en. Accessed on 11.ix.2024.
Kunte, K., S. Sondhi
& P. Roy (Chief Editors) (2026). Butterflies of India, v.
4.31. Indian Foundation for Butterflies Trust. https://www.ifoundbutterflies.org.
Accessed on 10.ii.2026.
Mukherjee, K.
& A. Mondal (2020). Butterfly diversity in heterogenous habitats of Bankura, West Bengal, India.
Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(8): 15804–15816. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5136.12.8.15804-15816
Murugesan,
M., P.R. Arun & B.A.K. Prusty
(2013). The
butterfly community of an urban wetland system- a case study of Oussudu Bird Sanctuary, Puducherry, India. Journal of
Threatened Taxa 5(12): 4672–4678. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3056.4672-8
Paul, T.K.
& A. Kumar (2023). Flora of Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Darjeeling, West Bengal.
Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, 171 pp.
Pradhan, A.
& S. Khaling (2020). Butterfly diversity in an
organic tea estate of Darjeeling Hills, eastern Himalaya, India. Journal of
Threatened Taxa 12(11): 16521–16530. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.5716.12.11.16521-16530
Priya, N.D. (2024) Butterfly puddling behaviour:
a fascinating phenomenon. Agri Articles
4(3): 647–649.
Roy, U., M.
Mukherjee & S. Mukhopadhyay (2012). Butterfly diversity and
abundance with reference to habitat heterogeneity in and around Neora Valley National Park, West Bengal, India. Our
Nature 10: 53–60. https://doi.org/10.3126/ON.V10I1.7751
Saha, A., S. Das, P. Das, P. Raha & D. Saha (2023). Butterfly diversity in the
campus area of university of north Bengal, West Bengal, India. Journal of
Tropical Biology and Conservation 20: 245–255. https://doi.org/10.51200/jtbc.v20i.4520
Sengupta, P.,
K. Banerjee & N. Ghorai (2014). Seasonal diversity of
butterflies and their larval food plants in the surroundings of upper Neora Valley National Park, a sub-tropical broad leaved
hill forest in the eastern Himalayan landscape, West Bengal, India. Journal
of Threatened Taxa 6(1): 5327–5342. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3446.5327-42
Singhal, N.
& B.R. Chowdhury (1996). Survey of Flora and Fauna of Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. A
Collaborative Research project of Wildlife Wing, Forest Department, West Bengal
and Nature Environment & Wildlife Society, Kolkata, 34 pp.
Sinha, R.K.,
S.S. Gupta, A.B. Roy, S. Baidya, S. Roy, N. Das, A.
Paul & A. Pal (Eds.) (2019). Butterflies of Buxa
Tiger Reserve, 1st Edition. A CITADEL Publication,
Kolkata in association with Buxa Tiger Conservation
Foundation, Alipurduar, West Bengal, India, 248
pp.
Smetacek, P. (2017). A Naturalist’s Guide to the
Butterflies of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. 1st
ed. John Beaufoy Publishing Limited.
Upadhyay, R.,
R. Gogoi, R. Ahmed & R. Limbu (2023). A preliminary checklist of
butterflies (Insecta: Lepidoptera) from Vijaynagar, district Changlang,
Arunachal Pradesh, India. Asian Journal of Conservation Biology 12(1):
151–169.
Wendimu, A., W. Tekalign
& E.E. Bojago (2024). Day-flying lepidopteran species
abundance, diversity, and distribution in Wolaita Sodo University, Ethiopia. Psyche: A Journal of
Entomology 13: 5535105. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/5535105