A study on the diversity of butterflies in selected landscapes of the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati campus, Assam, India

A study has been carried out to find out the diversity of butterflies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati campus, Assam India from September 2019 to March 2022. In the present study, a total of 82 species with a total of 1,378 individuals of butterflies belonging to six families, namely, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae, Hesperiidae, and Riodinidae have been recorded. During the survey, the maximum number of butterflies were observed in the old E-type site and D-type site and its adjoining areas, where there are abundant flowering, host, and nectar-collecting plants and wildflowers, and a minimum number of butterflies were listed from old and new guest house site and transit campsites. Among four study years, 2020 had the highest genera and species number followed by the year 2021. From the present study it can be concluded that despite urbanization, there is a good diversity of butterflies. Therefore, the implementation of appropriate and effective conservation methods is of utmost importance in order to protect the diversity.