Butterfly diversity in Nagarahole (Rajiv Gandhi) National Park of Karnataka, India: an updated checklist

This study provides a comprehensive insight into the species richness and diversity of butterflies recorded from Nagarahole (Rajiv Gandhi) National Park (NNP), a protected area in southern Western Ghats of Karnataka, India. An updated checklist of 210 species, including previous records of 138 species, by adopting random and opportunistic sampling methods across different vegetation types of NNP from June 2021 to June 2023. The Nymphalidae was the most species-rich butterfly family, represented by 63 species, followed by Lycaenidae (57 species), Hesperiidae (49), Pieridae (23), Papilionidae (16), and Riodinidae (2). Of the total, 35 species are listed under various schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, including the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022. Additionally, four species are endemic to the Western Ghats. The population status of butterflies in NNP indicates that 38% of species are very common, 19% are common, 23% are not rare, and 10% are rare. However, 20 butterfly species (10%) are classified as very rare in their status. This highlights the importance of conservation measures to protect these butterfly species in this area.