Distribution and habitat characteristics of the Troidinebutterfly community in the Western Ghats, a biodiversityhotspot in India

Abstract

Investigation on the distribution patterns and habitat requirements of the butterflytribe, Troidini was carried out in undisturbed forest habitats and disturbed, human-modiûed habitatsin the Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot in south India. Compared various ecological andbiological traits of the four species of this group which included a CITES (Convention on InternationalTrade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) listed species, Troides minos Cramer, anendemic species Pachliopta pandiyana Moore, a protected species, Pachliopta hector Fabriciusand Pachilopta aristolochiae Linnaeus. Comparisons were based on transect counts conducted at66 transects in 22 locations covering six types of habitat systems with a gradient of disturbance andmanagement regimes during 2009 and 2010. Results indicated that P. aristolochiae was the mostwidely distributed species occurring in 90% of the transects sampled and P. pandiyana had a restricteddistribution (36 %), while both P. hector and T. minos were observed in 73% of the transects. Samplingof the juveniles on the six species of host plants in the various habitats provided insights into hostplant partitioning between these species in the different habitats. Life history traits and morphologicalcharacteristics of adult troidines, larval host plant characteristics and habitat characteristics wereevaluated and characterized. © 2019 Association for Advancement of Entomology