Abstract Butterflies serve as valuable bioindicators for assessing ecosystem health because of their sensitivity to habitat changes, rapid life cycles and extensive mobility. University campuses are becoming major butterfly refuges, but their role in butterfly diversity and conservation is understudied. In the biodiverse northeastern area of India, the Assam down town university campus is important for faunal studies. Despite its ecological importance, butterfly diversity and spatial distribution in scenic and roadside environments are unknown. We investigated butterfly species richness, assemblage composition and diversity through structured sampling using the purposive point count approach across several seasons. Despite small campus area, 2295 butterflies from 101 species in all six families were observed from August 2023 to July 2024, with Nymphalidae and Riodinidae having the most and least number of species and individuals. Butterfly abundance, species richness and diversity were higher in the dry season in both habitats. Two species were on the IUCN Red List and six were threatened under India's Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972's Schedules I, II and IV. This study documents butterfly diversity in rural–urban settings around university campuses for the first time, showing seasonal fluctuations and species richness. Finally, we conclude that tropical and subtropical university campuses can serve as biodiversity refugia in urban environments by maintaining green spaces, cultivating native flora, preserving air quality and using organic management approaches.
Rahman et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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