Exploring the Butterflies (Order Lepidoptera: Family Papilionidae): A Comprehensive Study of the Sarawak Museum Deparment Collection

The family Papilionidae of butterflies, known for their striking colours and graceful flight, constitutes a significant component of tropical biodiversity. Widely distributed across various habitats, these butterflies are aesthetically pleasing and serve as important biological indicators. The natural history collection owned by the Sarawak Museum Department has been gradually expanding since the 1980s, with the samples constituting a growing archive of documented butterflies for future analyses. This study aims to document the taxonomic diversity of Papilionidae butterflies in Sarawak over the years. The study overall documented a total of 40 species of Papilionidae from the natural history collection and an extended sampling session. Chilasa paradoxa was the most abundant species recorded, while Graphium aristeus was the least abundant species recorded from the collection. The sampling session identified Pachliopta aristolochiae as the most dominant species, with twelve other species documented only once throughout the sampling period. This study provides valuable insights into the diversity and conservation significance of Papilionidae butterflies in Sarawak, underscoring the importance of museum collections as repositories of biological knowledge.