RUGS Biodiversity Survey: Butterflies of Klang Valley

A baseline biodiversity survey has been conducted between July to September 2023 under the Rantaian Urban Green Spaces (RUGS) project. The biodiversity survey was carried out along the Damansara-Pantai Arc to Federal Hill region in Klang Valley of Peninsular Malaysia, to establish a baseline data for flora and fauna – butterflies, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals – for the green spaces within it. The 15 study sites include Kota Damansara Community Forest, Kwasa Damansara, Bukit Lanjan, Kampung Sungai Penchala, Bukit Sri Bintang, Bukit Kiara North, Bukit Kiara, INTAN, Rimba Ilmu Botanic Gardens, Federal Hill, Bukit Gasing, Taman Tugu, Carcosa Seri Negara, Bukit Maxwell and Changkat Tunku Hill. Hence, this study seeks to inform conservation efforts by assessing the species richness of butterflies (family Lepidoptera) within these fragmented green spaces in Klang Valley and supporting the establishment of green corridors to enhance habitat connectivity. This study compiled 96 species of butterflies from the 15 sites, with Nymphalidae being the most commonly observed family. The most common butterfly species recorded across all sites was Psyche (Leptosia nina), which was observed at 11 out of 15 sites. Larger, contiguous landscapes generally support higher biodiversity and healthy ecosystem, as indicated by the preliminary findings from this butterfly survey. If the green corridors of RUGS come to fruition, this study can serve as a reference point for evaluating long-term improvements to Klang Valley’s greenscape.